


A Snowy Love

by eleboppers



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cheesy Moments, Christmas Party, Domestic shinobi, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gaara can also be kind of an emotional mess, Gaara is cute sometimes, Long, Marking, Marriage, Plot Twists, Quiet Gaara, Romance, There's cute stuff and fighting and smut, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, bonding with shinobi, lots of fighting sequences, old style, this is my old writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:09:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 184,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9527171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleboppers/pseuds/eleboppers
Summary: It was still for a moment until her senses picked up on a presence very near to her. Before she had the chance to turn, the newcomer made themselves known. "Whoever said you had to spend it alone?" said a voice from behind her. Thus began the journey that sent Sakura into a life she never dreamed of having. Gaara and Sakura, domestic and smutty with fighting, politics, and lots of shinobi. (This is old old writing)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that was originally posted on Fanfiction.net, I am the original author and I thought it was a good idea to post it here as well. It's long and has been a labor of love (and hate) for a few years. It's my old writing style and keep in mind that it was started in 2012 so it isn't perfect, my style has evolved greatly since then and I have long since grown from that. If you enjoy it at all, please check out my later works as they are posted. Thank you for reading and enjoy! -Eleboppers

Chapter 1

It was cold outside and Sakura didn't want to be walking home alone in the dark. "Everyone's away on a mission. Only I have to stay behind and train with Shishou." She sighed and continued walking, shuffling her feet lightly across the ground. The air was frigid and the moon only cast a slight glow on the streets. Sakura wrapped her shawl around her and kept walking her breath blowing in swirling puffs in front of her. "Why couldn't I have gotten a mission somewhere warm, like Suna." She muttered a bit to herself and walked a little faster down her street.

With a sigh she walked up her steps and unlocked her door stepping into the welcome warmth of her house. Shivering at the sudden change in temperature, she shut her door and slipped off her shawl and scarf. She glanced at the clock and groaned audibly when she saw that it was only around seven. _"Stupid winter always making it dark outside before it needs to be!"_

Sakura had been agitated for the past week. It seemed as if nearly every day she was forced to be training or working in the hospital during the day and by the time she returned home it was almost always dark outside. She barely had any time in the daylight anymore!

With a slight frown on her face, she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and rather roughly filled it with some ramen before putting it in the microwave and settling into the couch with her book hoping to relax a bit. She had just finished a chapter when the microwave beeped and she reluctantly set down her book to go retrieve her food. Sakura put the ramen on the table and began to eat absentmindedly drifting off into thought. _"Naruto is off training again, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru are gone on missions, Kiba and Hinata were sent on a mission, and everyone else is off training or on missions."_ She sighed and finished her ramen before putting it into the sink to wash later.

Sakura turned and stretched before walking into her living room again. She turned on her stereo and settled back into the couch with her book while soft music played quietly through the room. The melody was so calming to her that without her knowing she slipped into sleep and dreamed of a beautiful snowy night with a full moon. In her dream she stood at the Konoha Bridge as snow fell softly around her melting on her cheeks as it drifted down. She smiled and turned in a circle catching the snow on her tongue as it fell. It was pleasantly relaxing and Sakura was reluctant to leave her dreamlike state even as she heard something incessantly beeping in her sensitive ears.

Nearly as soon as she heard the noise Sakura found herself jolted out of her dream to the sound of her alarm clock going off in her bedroom. She stood up and stretched before yawning and walking into her room to turn it off. "Ughh it's a Saturday and I don't have a shift today, why did I set this thing?" She mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her eyes and sat on her bed, turning her neck and yawning loudly _. "Sleeping on the couch is a habit I need to stop."_ With a sigh Sakura decided getting something productive done was a good goal for the day.

"I might as well get dressed and go to the market. I need some more food." She murmured to herself, standing slowly and moving towards the closet to put on new clothes for the day. Pulling her closed toed winter boots on, Sakura grabbed her scarf and a new jacket before bracing herself for the coldness outside. The morning was cold as usual and clouds hung on the horizon _. "Huh. Maybe it will snow today. The pretty snow will make braving the cold a little more rewarding."_ She thought.

With a small smile at this thought, Sakura trudged down the road into the market and greeted some of the people sitting in a tea shop drinking warm tea and talking. _"I do love living here though. Almost everyone is so nice even if it gets cold in the winter."_ She smiled and continued walking. Stopping at a shop and getting some more ramen and other food was her first priority. After this Sakura decided a bit more shopping could hurt either.

Her favourite store in Konoha was a small medicinal shop near the main road run but a young woman and her husband. Stepping into the warmth of the shop, Sakura smiled as the shopkeeper greeted her and handed her some medicinal herbs she had ordered a few days before. Sakura smiled as the woman then handed her a little sprig of holly before smiling and saying, "The holly is free." Sakura smiled and thanked her before paying for the herbs and continuing down the road. The shopkeeper shouted something else to her in a cheery voice and Sakura waved to her not really catching what she said.

Konoha seemed relatively quiet in winter. People rarely milled about and most shinobi were working on smaller missions or holed up in guard houses or their own homes around the village. Laughter suddenly filled the air as Sakura watched some young children run around the street chasing each other in a game of tag.

She smiled at them for a moment until she saw one little girl fall and began to cry. Immediately, her medic mode kicked in and Sakura found herself quickly setting down her groceries before walking over to her and bending down to see her. "Are you ok sweetie?" She questioned her gently, not wanting to scare the poor girl in any way.

"N-n-no." she cried. "I f-fell a-and hurt m-my knee." She sobbed, pulling up her pants leg and holding her knee against her.

"Oh dear, well don't worry, I'll make it not hurt anymore ok?" Sakura declared, smiling at her.

"Y-you w-will?" The girl said looking at her with big brown eyes full of tears and disbelief.

"Yes I will. Just hold very still ok? I promise it won't hurt at all. Trust me, I am a pretty good medic." She moved the girl's hands away from her leg and looked at the small cuts on her knee. They weren't deep and could really just be bandaged and would quickly heal but Sakura knew healing her with chakra was a much quicker option seeing as she had no bandages currently with her. With a small smile, she raised a hand glowing with green chakra and began to heal the girl. The girl stopped sniffling and watched in wonder as her cuts began to heal until only small scabs remained.

"Ok I'm all done! Does it feel better now?" Sakura asked her calmly, receiving a wide-eyed look and enthusiastic smile in return.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" The girl chirped giving Sakura a hug. Sakura smiled and hugged her back before watching her run over to where the other children had been watching from a distance.

 _"What a cute little girl."_ She thought, watching as the children took off once more. She picked up her groceries and began walking down the street to her house.

Sakura set the groceries on the table loudly before beginning to pull them out of the bags and place them in their rightful places. Finishing this task quickly, she decided a small lunch was in order and quickly whipped up a bowl of warm soup.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Sakura finished her book, sorted some medical papers she had been looking through, watched some news, and then re-read an article about poisons and antidotes. When the clock said six-thirty, she stood up and began to make her supper.

It was getting rather dark outside and Sakura was just finishing her dinner preparations. She had just put the chicken in the oven to bake when she moved to looked out the window and saw that is was snowing. "Oh how pretty!"

It must have been snowing for a while as outside the flakes had began to create a thick layer of snow on the ground. With a quick glance at the stove clock, Sakura decided a walk wouldn't be the worst idea. _"The chicken won't be done for about two hours, a walk won't hurt. It is just so pretty outside!"_ She pulled on her boots with ease and then her jacket and scarf before opening the door and walking down the street into the falling snow. Sakura smiled slightly and began walking towards what she knew to be one of the prettiest places in Konoha.

She passed a few stores with their lights on before meandering down one of the darker streets illuminated only by the moon and the streetlights around the town. With a smile, she turned a corner before stopping in front of the Konoha Bridge.

It was more breathtaking than she had expected. The moon was up and everything was sparkling with a fresh coat of snow, glimmering and shining as if it was made of diamonds. "Oh it looks just like my dream!" She whispered, taking in the beautiful scene around her.

She turned her head towards the moon and laughed as the lightly falling snow fell and melted onto her slightly red cheeks and nose. Glancing around to be sure she was alone, Sakura let out a small giggle before sticking out her tongue to catch it as it drifted down. She hadn't done this in a long time and something about it took her back to her younger days almost immediately.

The stillness of the air was broken suddenly by the sound of faraway laughter and light songs carried on the cold air. Sakura turned towards the town and watched as people holding booklets walked under a streetlamp singing and laughing merrily. For a moment, Sakura was merely amused with the joyous band of people as they moved out of her range of sight and hearing and towards the town center. It wasn't until she had turned away that she heard a loud call of "Merry Christmas!" carried to her listening ears from a faraway voice.

With a sudden gasp Sakura's eyes widened, her carefree mood slightly broken. "It's Christmas Eve! I've been so busy and focused on my work that I haven't noticed the calendar!" She mentally kicked herself for forgetting and sighed _. "Normally my friends would have reminded me but they are all busy."_

"No doubt meeting up somewhere to celebrate with each other for the holidays." She muttered. She sighed and leaned on the railing looking up at the moon and snow as it fell onto the partially frozen river and the trees around the bridge. With a sigh she decided it wasn't the worst thing that she had forgotten. Now that she knew it made her feel even more alone.

It was rare for her to be alone at the holidays. Usually at least one of her friends was around. This year their missions and training just so happened to coincide with each other.

"At least it's a beautiful Christmas Eve, even if I do have to spend it alone." She breathed out softly, watching the snow fall softly down in front of her.

End of Chapter 1

 


	2. Chapter 2

It was still for a moment until her senses picked up on a presence very near to her. Before she had the chance to turn, the newcomer made themselves known. "Whoever said you had to spend it alone?"

Sakura turned around quickly, recognizing the voice but completely unbelieving. "Who's there?" she questioned, immediately feeling stupid for not staying quiet as she looked around.

Her shoulders were tense and her hand twitched slightly as she reached into her jacket pocket for the kunai she knew lay inside. Her shoulders stiffened even more and she felt her jaw go a little slack as a figure stepped out of the shadows and looked at her from the bottom of the bridge.

"Me." Said the voice once more. Standing at the end of the bridge in his signature red jacket was none other than Gaara. The last person on the face of the earth Sakura expected to see on Christmas Eve on the Konoha Bridge.

"Gaara! Why are you here?!" Sakura practically squeaked out, completely taken aback and forgetting for a moment that he was the Kazekage and should have been addressed as such. There was absolutely no reason she could think of that would warrant the Kazekage of Suna to make his way to Konoha, in the dead of winter, on Christmas Eve no less. She was even more confused when she heard the next words spoken by the man now standing before her.

"I was informed that everyone was on missions except for you and I found the thought of you being alone on Christmas, after all you've done for me, to be rather unfair. I decided to visit. It was… spontaneous." He said with a very straight face, as if the course of action he had taken was completely obvious.

Sakura's face of surprise softened a bit as she took in the magnitude of his kind gesture. She was rather astounded that the Kazekage, that _Gaara_ , was the creator and executer of such a plan. She also realized that the statements he had just made were the most words she had heard him speak directly to her in all the time that she had known him.

Noticing that he was staring at her, as if waiting for her to speak, she cleared her throat and managed a smile. "G- I mean Kazekage-sama, that was incredibly nice of you! You didn't have to do that for me! I don't mind being alone." She said softly, even though in her head she was very grateful that she didn't have to be alone on Christmas. Even if she was completely bewildered by his being there at all, and the face that _he,_ of all people, was thinking of _her_ , she couldn't help but be oddly touched by the incredibly unexpected gesture.

Sakura watched as he moved towards her on the bridge rather awkwardly, his eyes still watching her as he shook his head for a moment. "Call me Gaara. I am not here as the Kazekage, I am here as someone who is grateful of your help." Sakura found herself once more nodding as she looked away and then quickly back to him seeming to remember where they were currently standing.

"Ah well, ah, Gaara, do you want to get something to eat? I was making dinner earlier so you can come over and we can share it! I always make too much for me to eat alone. I guess I'm used to people dropping in to eat it with me." She stated, rather nervously.

He gave her a small nod. Sakura watched him and smiled once more before moving to walk off the bridge. She watched as Gaara quickly fell into step beside her with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

The stillness of the air combined with the absolute confusion that swirled in her head caused her to feel a little unnerved and unsure about what to say to the man she only knew through Naruto and the events of their childhood that she had long ago forgiven.

The more they walked the more Sakura found herself relaxing a bit deciding that the strange man beside her had perhaps become someone who simply did things in the moment sometimes. Pushing back the other questions in her head, Sakura resigned herself to walking silently beside him sensing that he was alright with the current silence between them.

The two walked through town and Sakura began to loosen up even more as people called the greetings of "Merry Christmas!" as they passed by. Sakura cheerfully returned these greetings as did Gaara, though with not quite as much enthusiasm.

They turned onto her street and Gaara watched as Sakura opened the door and let Gaara inside. She took off her coat and scarf and hung them up on a peg to dry motioning to the other hook and watching as Gaara did the same, setting the bag he had with him on the floor beside them along with his gourd.

"I'm sorry it might not be the biggest but make yourself at home." Gaara regarded her with a strangely grateful expression.

"You don't have to apologize; I think it is very… nice." Sakura resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at his more open behavior remembering that he had changed since he had become Kazekage and she hadn't seen him in so long she had almost forgotten his new self.

Sakura walked into the living room with Gaara close behind. Sakura noticed that he shivered a little and looked uncomfortable in her house. Attributing it to the odd circumstance and the cold, she decided to try and make him a bit more comfortable, for both of their sakes.

"I'll get a fire started you can sit on the couch or in the kitchen, the chicken should be ready in a minute." Sakura stated, walking to the fireplace and throwing some logs and tinder onto the remaining logs from the day before, lighting them with a match before turning back to face him.

"Please, make yourself at home." Gaara nodded standing in the middle of the room, taking in the furniture in the comfortable space. Sakura quickly moved into the kitchen turning off the timer and checking the chicken before pulling it out and setting it on the counter.

"Would you like rice with the meal Gaara?" She called to him rather loudly, surprised as she heard his voice coming from the other side of the kitchen.

"That would be fine." He said calmly watching as she contained her embarrassment and nodded. "I can help." He said to her as she moved to pull the rice cooker out of a nearby cupboard.

"Oh no! You came all the way here in the middle of winter to see me, the least I could do is…" Gaara cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"That was my decision. I want to help." He said sternly, catching his tone towards the end of his sentence and forcing himself to speak more gently as she scurried over to help him set up the rice cooker.

She tried to grab the rice from the cupboard but was beaten to it by Gaara who held it away from her and stared at her until she let it go. Sakura met his stare for a moment as if deciding whether or not to let him cook before glancing at the unwavering look in his eyes and quickly retreating back to prepare the chicken for eating.

Sakura watched Gaara begin to prepare the rice out of the corner of her eye as she untied the chicken and moved it onto a large serving platter. Gaara waited as the rice cooked and silently watched as Sakura moved from the counter, to the table in the room and back, carrying plates and glasses as she went.

Gaara turned the rice cooker off as it began to beep, picking up the rice bowl Sakura had set out and filling it with the steaming cooked rice. He turned to Sakura as she reached out to take the rice bowl and their hands brushed together. He gave her a simple stare as she quickly let go of the bowl and turned away mumbling something about soy sauce before grabbing it and moving into the dining room with Gaara close behind.

The kitchen was well lit and the chicken and rice looked very nice set up on the old wooden table in front of them. Plain, yes, but nice.

"Oh it looks so lovely." She cooed, motioning for Gaara to take a seat.

"Thank you for making it." He sat, watching as Sakura attempted to wave off his thanks. She really wasn't used to him being so talkative.

"I didn't do anything Gaara, I was already cooking it anyways." Sakura smiled at him as she sat down. "Anyways, it was you who came to visit me so I should be thanking you!" Gaara shook his head once more and stared at her with his bright turquoise eyes.

"Temari and Kankuro were meeting Shikamaru and some others in Fire country and I was alone as well. I thought I could repay your kindness with some company." He stated plainly.

"Still you made the effort to visit me and that is a reason for me to be very grateful." She said to him, reaching for the rice to put on her plate.

"It was a gesture of friendship and I wanted to do it." His tone told her that this was the end of the discussion and she grudgingly nodded, deciding it was better to simply accept his kindness. After all, she was certainly no longer bored.

Sakura began to fill her plate and once more tried to grasp every moment of the strange situation set before her. How much had he changed to do something so thoughtful. She hadn't seen him since he last came to Konoha to meet with Tsunade.

He had been much more polite and not nearly as unnerving since he had become Kazekage and since she had taken part in the retrieval mission. She assumed that this was his way of thanking her for that but it confused her. It had happened long ago and he had thanked her at that time for her help in retrieving and reviving him and saving his brother. It was the first time she had ever truly seen his new self that Naruto had helped bring about.

Deciding that her head would burst if she truly tried to decipher the reasoning of the odd man before her; she decided focusing on the strange situation currently taking place in her kitchen.

"Then I hope we can enjoy this Christmas Eve." She stated as a very delayed response to his statement.

He nodded and raised a piece of chicken to his mouth and chewed it carefully. "This is good, where did you learn to cook?" He looked to her as she swallowed the rice currently in her mouth, not expecting him to start a conversation.

"I learned a while ago by myself mostly, but also from my mother. You learn the basics from the Academy and out of necessity when you end up on a team like the one I had. " Gaara nodded at this remembering that it was always Baki who had cooked for them after Temari and Kankuro both proved they would not. He assumed with what he knew about Sakura's team that none of the other members, especially not Naruto, would have been able to properly cook.

They sat and ate for a while before moving to talking about little things concerning their friends and their own lives in their towns. Sakura asked about his siblings to which he replied shortly that Kankuro was making advancements to his puppets and that Temari had been making strange requests to go on missions with Konoha shinobi.

Sakura laughed at this, causing Gaara to stare at her in confusion.

"Well if you want my opinion, I think it's because of Shikamaru. Temari and Shikamaru would be good together and I think they have had something going on for a little while, or at least they act like it. He needs someone to get him off of his lazy ass anyway." She laughed again, forgetting for a moment that this was Temari's brother and maybe she shouldn't be so free with her opinions on his sister. She sobered quickly at this thought and watched his expression, relieved to find him merely contemplating the information.

"That could explain some things." He said calmly as Sakura nodded.

The rest of the meal was spent in mostly silence as Gaara and Sakura finished off the meals before them and a lighter mood settled between them.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As an FYI, the chapters get longer later, these first ones are short. :)

Gaara stood up and moved to help Sakura bring the dishes to the kitchen as she began to do it herself.

She listened intently as she urged him to tell her more about life in Suna and he listened as she explained Naruto's antics and her life in Konoha. She washed the dishes as he put away the leftovers before walking into the living room to continue their heavily one-sided conversation. Sakura sat on the sofa and motioned for Gaara to sit as well. He did so a little reluctantly, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"So, Gaara, where are you staying in Konoha?" Sakura asked casually.

"I don't know yet. I was planning on finding a hotel to stay in while I was here or asking the Hokage for a room in the tower. She is aware of my presence. I don't know how long I will be here." Gaara admitted.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? We could have gone straight to the Hokage Tower, I'm sure we could go to Tsunade-sama's room or ask Shizune. After all, it isn't very late yet and it is Christmas Eve so I'm sure it would be fine…" Sakura rambled slightly until Gaara gave her a very pointed look that got her to stop talking rather quickly.

"It's fine. I will find accommodations." Gaara said simply.

"That is out of the question! I am a student of the Hokage and I have a guest room, so speaking on behalf of my Shishou, you can stay here. I'm not letting the Kazekage stay in some hotel on Christmas!" She stated, crossing her arms as her famous temper began to appear. The council would rip her a new one if they ever found out that she didn't offer her home to a visiting diplomat. Aside from that, it was in her nature to be hospitable, even if she was extremely nervous about the Kazekage staying in her house.

"I'm not getting out of this predicament am I?" He thought. "I'll stay here for a while. I have to get back to Suna after Christmas as I only planned to come for a day or two to visit yourself and the others, if they return." Sakura visibly relaxed at this.

"That's fine by me." She said to him, attempting to act casual as she flipped on the TV to break the silence that had settled upon them once more. "What do you want to watch Gaara?"

"I don't really care but I want to check the weather first." She flipped to the weather channel watching with utter surprise as the man began the report.

"There is an unexpected blizzard moving into Konoha tomorrow night. It is expected to last for about three days. The aftereffect, however, will make travel difficult for at least a week. This is extremely unusual for us here in Konoha but another blizzard is predicted to hit afterwards so bundle up in those blankets, snuggle close, and enjoy the warmth of a fire and some tea!"

They both sat in silence, stunned by the man before them as Sakura shot a worried look at Gaara. She looked at Gaara's expression and became even more concerned at the blank look on his face. Speaking quickly, she began to try and rectify the situation. "Gaara this will be a problem for a while, you can leave tonight if you want then you'll avoid the storms I don't mind. Really, you are the leader of your village and it would be a huge problem if something happened and you had to go back in the blizzard." He looked at her, surprised at her fast words, and realized that she had read his blank expression before he could change it to something else.

"No Sakura I said I was staying for Christmas and I will. I can send a message to Suna explaining that I will be staying for quite a while due to weather, Temari and Kankuro will understand. Besides, you will be alone for quite a while since your friends who are on missions will be hindered in their return to Konoha because of the weather as well." He stated crossing his arms.

Sakura immediately shook her head at the stubbornness of this man. Didn't he know that he was extremely important to his village?

"No, I know that Suna needs its leader and I understand…" she began.

"I am staying. Nothing you say is going to get me to leave. I made the journey here intending to stay for Christmas and I am going to even if I have to stay in a hotel afterwards." He scowled.

"If you are so insistent on staying, you are going to stay here as long as you need to!" She stood up suddenly, surprising Gaara as usually when he used that tone people bent to his will. She instead stared at him with defiance. Her tone him to question her judgment. He stood as well, giving her an equally stern look before forcibly relaxing his expression. He knew from Naruto's stories and her reputation that getting upset would only make her temper worse.

"Well then, thank you Sakura." He gave her a nod causing Sakura to wonder if this was really the same man she had fought in the woods so long ago.

He looked at her again and watched as she seemed to relax a bit. "Well then I'll show you to your room, you are probably tired." She quickly looked away.

"Thank you, let me get my bag and I will join you." Sakura nodded and waited for him to return before walking down the hall to the entrance of the guest room. Sakura swung the door open and walked inside with Gaara close behind.

"The bed should be okay, there are extra blankets in the closet should you need them. The bathroom is down the hall, second door on the left." She looked to him as he nodded and stared back at her with those bright eyes of his. Sakura, suddenly feeling very self conscious, shifted her feet awkwardly and began to speak again. "Well if that's all, I will head off to bed. Merry Christmas Gaara."

"Goodnight Sakura, Merry Christmas." She swiftly turned and left the room without another word.

He watched her go and then shut the door, sighing slightly as he tried to comprehend everything he had gotten himself into over such a spur-of-the moment decision."Looks like I'm going to be here for longer than I expected. I only hope I can get more used to it." He glanced over the room not noticing any major differences to most common rooms he had been in. it wasn't luxurious or huge but her home was also the home of a kunoichi, not a Kage. He had turned back to his bag as something caught his gaze.

An old picture was one of the few things on the walls in the room. As he moved closer he realized it was a picture of Sakura as a baby in the arms of who he assumed was her mother. He stared at the smiling baby Sakura waving her tiny fist and giggling at the camera, a sense of foreignness coming back into his thoughts that he tried to shake away. It was strange to him but yet, familiar.

She had the same vibrant green eyes in the photo as she did now, perhaps a bit darker in colour, with wispy locks of pink hair reaching her ears and a tiny fist curled up and raised above her head. "She still has that habit of waving her fist."

Something in him twisted, feeling like he had somehow intruded on a secret by looking at the photo. He had always respected her, but seeing the photo gave him a sense of her life in a way he hadn't quite grasped before.

With a shake of his head, he turned and began to prepare himself for bed.

Sakura sighed in her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She had changed and cleaned her face, feeling refreshed and yet, very tired by the confusing events of the day.

Outside her window the snow fell gracefully on the ground and drifted like tiny crystals through the air. "It's so pretty outside tonight." She watched the snow for a while to calm herself and her thoughts before crawling into the bed and forcing her eyes to close.

End of chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't judge this entire story by the Christmas stuff, there is fighting later.

Sakura woke up early the next morning feeling well rested and relaxed despite the strangeness of the day before. Lazily she sat up in her bed, stretching and smiling as she looked out the window and saw that the snow had stopped, leaving behind a world of pure white. Sakura looked at it for a moment before quickly gasping.

"Oh no! It's Christmas and I have no presents for Gaara or Tsunade-sama! I completely forgot about them!" Without wasting a moment, she shot out of bed, hissing at the coldness of the floor as she raced to her closet trying to be as quiet as possible. Reaching inside her closet, her fingers curled around the first long sleeve shirt and long pants she could find, throwing her pajamas across the room as she pulled on the other clothes.

A quick glance in the mirror showed that her short pink hair was only slightly tangled and thankfully only needed to be brushed. _"I can't believe I completely forgot about Tsunade! Gaara was a surprise but Tsunade is my Shishou! How could I have forgotten her?!"_ Sakura thanked her lucky stars she had already bought presents for the rest of her friends as she quietly left her room.

Hoping Gaara had gotten over at least some of his former insomnia, Sakura tiptoed down the hallway, pulling on her boots, coat, and scarf before slipping out the door. As soon as she was off the porch she hurried into a run. If she was going to pull this off she needed to be quick. With a burst of speed Sakura rounded a corner and sprinted down the road to a nearby liquor shop to buy a nice bottle of sake for Tsunade. The owner seemed to notice her hurry and quickly wrapped it for her, placing a bow around the top and waving her off as she called her thanks to the owner.

Her breath came out in steamy tendrils as she raced down the road to a small shop that she knew had knick-knacks depicting places in Konoha. Deciding a snow globe would be a funny present to give the rather stoic ninja, Sakura found one with a model of Konoha from above and bought it with a smile. As she left the shop Sakura found herself moving away from the direction of her home. Something in her knew that the snow globe was a funny and sweet gift but didn't express how truly grateful, and rather amazed, she was that Gaara had come to visit her during the holidays. _"I don't know what else to get him. Whatever it is it needs to be special."_ She thought, turning a corner and nearly smacking into a woman standing there.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Sakura mumbled as the woman chuckled.

"It's alright Sakura-san, you look rather disheveled, forgot to buy someone a present?" The woman laughed as Sakura looked up to see the familiar face of one of the nice shopkeepers Sakura had befriended over the years.

"Aiko! I didn't realize it was you! Ah, and yes, I did forget a present…or two." Sakura mumbled out the last part, a little embarrassed at admitting her forgetfulness.

Aiko laughed and shook her head. "You are always so busy, it doesn't surprise me! Maybe I could help you out, come on in and we'll see if I have anything that would work." Sakura nodded and followed Aiko inside her warm little shop.

"I really appreciate it Aiko." Sakura said, following Aiko to where she had disappeared into the back of her store.

"Don't mention it! Now, who is it that you are getting a present for?" She asked, leaning against her counter with a friendly smile.

"A friend from Suna, he's staying here for the holidays." She said to her, watching as Aiko's smile grew even wider.

"From Suna you say? He's probably not used to this weather. Does he have clothes that are suited to this climate?"

"Yeah he's been here before. I didn't know he was coming until he got here last night. I have to say I was rather surprised he wasn't shivering from the cold but he seemed ok in it." She said casually as Aiko nodded and pursed her lips for a moment.

"Well let's start with the basics. What exactly did you have in mind for a present? What do you think he would like?" She asked, as Sakura sighed.

"That's the problem Aiko; I have no idea what to get him." She admitted this last bit with a shake of the head, sitting down in a chair near the stove as Aiko moved to the place next to her.

"Well then why don't you tell me what he's like? Maybe then I can get a feel for what to give him." Sakura nodded and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Well he's very quiet and rather hard to read sometimes. He is stoic and sometimes a little proud, but not at all in a bad way." Sakura stopped for a moment, trying her best to think of anything else to say about the mysterious friend of hers, without giving his complete identity away.

Aiko smiled and raised an eyebrow."Ooh the strong silent type hm?" She chuckled as Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well he's from Suna right? So I think the best thing to do would be to get him something that only comes from Konoha. A little piece of here." She smiled and held up something for Sakura to see. Her eyes widened as Aiko's smile grew even wider.

"Oh Aiko! It's so pretty! I wish I would have thought of that! It will most definitely suit him!" She gushed over the object in Aiko's hand and hugged her happily. "You always have the things I need Aiko! Thank you so much!" Sakura smiled as Aiko chuckled and began to wrap the gift up for her.

"I'm glad to have been able to help! You'll have to let me know how he likes it!" Sakura nodded as she paid for the gift and left the shop with a smile and a wave before taking off down the road, leaving behind a laughing Aiko.

Sakura turned the corner to her house clutching her gifts tightly before racing up the steps to her house. Wasting no time, Sakura pulled off her boots, coat and scarf, scooping up her gifts carefully before sneaking down the hall and into her room. With a massive sigh of relief at not being caught, she moved quickly and hid the bags in her closet. Deciding it would be best to get a cup of tea to warm her cold fingers, she left her room and walked into the kitchen.

Sakura had just set the tea kettle on the stove when Gaara walked into the room. His sudden presence would have startled her had she not been tensely expecting him to appear. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

He nodded and watched as she pulled two cups out of the cupboard. He had meditated for most of the night until he had fallen asleep. "Would you like some tea? I ran out to see a friend this morning and decided I needed a little something to warm me up." Gaara nodded, having felt her chakra the moment she woke up and left the house."Are rice balls okay for breakfast?" Sakura asked, pouring the now warm tea into the two cups. Again, Gaara nodded. Sakura smiled and handed him his cup before moving to the fridge and pulling out the rice balls she had prepared the day before.

Gaara had sat down at the island in her kitchen, sipping the tea as she moved to sit next to him. He mumbled his thanks as she handed him the rice ball and watched as he set his cup down to eat the simple breakfast before him. Deciding he should ask the plans for the day, he cleared his throat, catching Sakura's attention before speaking.

"I don't know what you do for Christmas or in the winter when it's snowing. If you had plans for the day then I would like to accompany you." Sakura was once more shocked but quickly recovered and nodded, taking a small bite of her rice ball before furrowing her brow.

"Well I wasn't really planning anything but I guess since it's Christmas I definitely do want to do something. Here in winter there is quite a bit to do. If you like we can go ice skating, though that… might seem a bit childish." She mentally kicked herself remembering that this was Gaara she was talking to, not Naruto! Suddenly she remembered what had been nagging her thoughts since he asked about plans for the day.

"Oh gosh! I almost forgot Tsunade-sama is having a party tonight. It's not much but it's really fun and we don't have to stay very long. She started hosting it last year after the usual get-togethers began to overlap. After Tsunade-sama has had a few drinks, it's best to leave quickly before things get ugly." She laughed a little as Gaara inwardly wondered what Tsunade could possibly be like drunk if her normal self was any indication.

"That sounds like it would be interesting. I would be fine with attending. I haven't tried ice skating but I assume it isn't too difficult. It would be interesting to do that as well." He murmured this calmly before biting into his rice ball once more. Sakura fought the urge to openly gape at him. Gaara, the Kazekage, ice skating?! She recovered remarkably quickly the oddness of everything starting to cancel out her amazement.

"We could go after breakfast if you want." Gaara nodded once more and they fell back into silence, both finishing their meals quietly before standing and heading towards the door.

"Gaara you may want to bring your gloves it's colder today than it was yesterday." Sakura mentioned casually, as she pulled on her own black gloves.

Gaara acknowledged her with a small grunt, putting his on as well. With a small glance in his direction, Sakura opened the door and stepped out into the snow covered street.

It was immediately apparent to both parties that it had dropped several degrees since the day before. Sakura suppressed a shiver as Gaara glanced over at her.

"So, ice skating first?" Sakura asked trudging along in the snow, not bothering to waste the chakra to walk on top of it.

"If you wish."

"Alright it's normally set up on the river near here. Some of our shinobi freeze it every once in a while to be sure it's safe as sometimes it doesn't get cold enough." Gaara nodded his understanding as he followed Sakura through the village and looked around at the cheery scenes around him.

 _"For somewhere so cold it is rather nice."_ He thought calmly. He watched as Sakura led him to a stand and spoke with the man inside, returning with two pairs of skates. She motioned for him to follow her to a place near the Konoha Bridge where there were benches to sit on.

Sakura tied her laces quickly and stood up in the snow watching as he finished tying his own and stood on them, getting used to the foreign feeling. Gaara watched as she gracefully stepped onto the frozen river and began to glide across its surface. She seemed light as a feather as she motioned for him to join her. He stood up and glided across the ice to her, only wobbling once before steadying himself with a small amount of chakra in his feet. He would be damned if he fell.

"You're a natural Gaara!" Sakura said watching him. He wasn't smiling but he seemed very confident on the ice and stopped when he got close to her. She began to skate around the river. "It seems like such an easy thing to do, I put chakra in my feet and I always seem to keep my balance on any sort of water frozen or not." She smiled. "But then again I have been skating since I was little. My mom used to bring me here to skate on the ice in the winter. I used to fall over and always ask how she stayed up. She told me that with practice I could skate just like her. I eventually learned how and now it's second nature to me." Sakura blushed a little upon realizing that she was rambling. "I guess I'm just surprised you caught on so fast." She admitted. Gaara smiled a little and skated towards her.

"I'm a fast learner." He said and they began to skate down the river again. _"She looks nice when she blushes."_ He thought absentmindedly. With a slight frown he shook off the sudden thought and continued to follow her across the water.

He felt strangely at ease with Sakura, and she felt the same. Despite his lack of conversation in some situations, she was certainly warming up to the red haired Kazekage.

They skated for a while long, enjoying the scenery until Sakura hit an uneven spot of ice. She wasn't paying attention to the ice and lost control for a mere moment before she began to fall. Gaara quickly grabbed hold of her arms, pulling her upright as his sand moved and stabilizing her movements. He stared at her for a moment before letting go of her arms.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, not breaking eye contact with the slightly blushing kunoichi.

"I am alright. I should be more careful. Thank you." She said blushing a little more.

"No problem." He commented, watching her as she skated ahead of him. Something in him stirred and for a moment he could still feel her warmth through the gloves on his hands.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Party, Kakashi appears, Tsunade drinks.

Sakura sat down on the bench with a happy sigh. She had almost forgotten how nice it was to just relax and skate. With swift movements she untied her skates and set them aside, pulling on her boots as quickly as she could before turning to where Gaara was standing holding his own skates. "After we return the skates I was thinking we could get some lunch and then head over to Tsunade-sama's party." Sakura chatted.

"What would you suggest to eat here?" He asked her.

She pursed her lips for a moment before speaking. "Well there's some great barbeque down at a restaurant down the road. If you want we could go there." She suggested, hugging her arms close to her. Gaara watched her movements and saw her shiver.

"That is fine." Gaara replied, wanting to get her, and himself, out of the cold air.

Sakura smiled as she handed the man the skates back before turning back to Gaara. "You are so much easier to appease than the others. Usually they all argue for a few minutes before we ever decide on a place to eat." She chuckled and shook her head, catching herself again as she realized who she was talking to. "They are all so stubborn sometimes." She finished weakly. Gaara watched her as they walked down the road towards the restaurant.

Sakura sighed the moment the door was opened. Gaara followed behind her, sharing the sentiment as the warm air settled over them both. With a motion from the waitress currently at another table, they moved and sat down across from each other. "What are you in the mood for?" She asked him, perusing the menu in front of her.

"Soup would be good." Gaara responded. She nodded and skimmed over the menu once more before deciding that would be a good idea as well.

Once the waitress had come and gone, Sakura turned to her guest and began a casual conversation. "So Gaara, is Konoha in the winter impressing you? As I seem to remember the last time you were here it was still summer."

"So far, yes. It's rather cold here and the snow is a hassle but it's nice and the scenery is refreshing." He replied.

"Well the cold is unfortunate, but I am glad you don't mind it too much. I don't like the snow myself but I must admit it looks pretty and adds to the scenery." She didn't add that she was happy that she could share it with him but in a spur of a moment thought she realized that she wanted to **.** The thought momentarily startled her as she realized she really must be betting used to him.

 ** _"You should say it you know you want to!"_** Chimed Inner happily. Sakura quickly shut her out.

"Just a fair warning Tsunade-sama is very tough to deal with on Christmas. She's normally already partially drunk by the time the real party starts. Oh and she tries to get everyone to dance with each other. This year she's decided to have it at a dance club just for this purpose." Sakura nearly growled out the last part. Gaara watched her for a moment before nodding.

"She is sometimes difficult at the best of times I don't want to see her when she gets really drunk." He mused. Sakura turned to him, wide-eyed and began to laugh. The Kazekage was a bit stunned for a moment at her reaction to his statement. He wasn't used to having people other than Naruto laugh at anything he said, and even then, Naruto was Naruto. Deciding that he liked this he let himself watch as Sakura calmed down and turned her green eyes back to him.

The soup arrived for the two of them just as she looked like she was about to say something else. She turned and thanked the waitress before beginning to eat. "This is really good." She murmured after a minute of silence.

"Normally I don't prefer it but I'm welcome to it when it's cold out." Gaara stated. The statement suddenly reminded Sakura of a story that made her smile. At Gaara's questioning stare she decided to share it.

"When I was younger I was called on a mission with Naruto and Kakashi. We were supposed to be heading to a village in the north to do some reconnaissance but ended up getting stuck in a small snowstorm. Naruto wanted to go on but Kakashi said we had to wait. None of us, except for maybe Naruto, were dressed for the snow. I was so cold my teeth chattered to the point that I thought they would break. We were all low on chakra and the circulation wasn't working well. Kakashi helped us make a small shelter of snow and we stayed there for the night. I remember him making a small fire and some soup with melted snow and one of the instant packs we carry with us. It warmed me up right away and I felt safer and stronger. It was one of the first times I remember being glad for soup of all things." Sakura laughed. The corner of Gaara's lip curled at her story and he watched as she blushed for a quick moment and went back to eating her soup.

 _"There she goes again blushing. Why does she blush so much around me?"_ Gaara pondered in his head. "I think soup can sometimes be rather powerful. In Suna when someone gets sick they are usually given soup to help them recover." He commented, trying to make her feel less embarrassed.

"We give sick or injured people soup as well it's one of the easiest ways to get nutrients and fluids into their bodies. From a medical standpoint it's wonderful."

Sakura saw his lips quirk upwards for an instant once more and couldn't help but notice that his mouth was rather perfect when he smiled. His lips were thin but not very and they made a nice shape when they were pulled upwards. She had only ever seen him smile once before with Naruto and even then she hadn't observed him closely.

She noticed that his eyes only briefly flickered happiness but when she saw it she realized that it made them look even more attractive than usual. The dark circles around his eyes offset the color perfectly and made them look even brighter than a normal person's. Sakura started slightly as she realized those same eyes were now staring at her from across the table with a questioning glance. Sakura quickly looked down at her soup realizing she had been staring.

 _"She was staring at me. Why does she stare but then look away as if she was embarrassed about it? She's been acting very different around me then she used to. I wonder why the sudden change in her behavior towards me."_ He pondered over this as the two ate the rest of their lunch in silence. When they finished, Sakura pulled out her wallet and put money on the table. "No, let me pay." Gaara said putting money on the table and handing hers back to her.

"Oh no really Gaara you're my guest I'll pay." She said putting her money back on the table.

"Sakura, no. I am paying." He put the money in her hand and motioned for her to come with him. She thanked him and slipped into her coat and scarf before following him into the street. "So where is this dance club?" He asked having a sudden urge to grab her hand which was swinging close to his. He frowned at this thought for a moment before listening to her short answer.

"This way." Sakura said pointing down the street. She began walking slowly down the street pulling a small scroll out of her pocket as she walked. "I sealed Tsunade-sama's present in this so it wouldn't break."

Gaara nodded and they continued to walk down the road until they got to the club. Music could be heard coming from inside and Sakura took an unsteady breath before turning to Gaara.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to you know." Sakura reminded him.

Gaara shook his head. He knew that she didn't want to go in there alone and was only trying to be nice to him by saying he didn't need to come. "No I want to come with you." Gaara stated firmly. He pulled open the door and watched as she stepped inside the loud and warm atmosphere.

They had barely taken two steps inside before a very loud voice called out to them above the din of the room. "Sakura! Merry Christmas!" Tsunade boomed from across the room.

"Merry Christmas Tsunade-sama!" Sakura called back.

"Oh you brought a guest!" Tsunade beamed at them as she walked over. "Gaara of Suna! I heard you'd be coming but I had no idea you were visiting my apprentice." She said smiling devilishly while giving Sakura a side-eyed look that had her blood boiling.

Gaara fought the urge to scowl. _"She thinks I am here because we are a couple."_ "I came to visit some old friends but only Sakura was here." He said calmly.

 _"Nice save Gaara!"_ Thought Sakura. _"Tsunade-sama loves to play matchmaker. She'll try to get us together for the entire night."_ "I just happened to see him at the Konoha Bridge last night and told him he could come too. I hope you don't mind Tsunade-sama." Sakura stated innocently. She could see that Tsunade had been drinking all day and had a nice buzz going already.

"No not at all. It's a privilege to have our ally the Kazekage in Konoha for Christmas." She smiled and pulled Sakura through the crowd to a table before forcing her to sit down. "Kakashi! Your prettiest student is here! Come sweep her off her feet!" Tsunade hollered at the grey haired ninja currently making his way across the room.

Sakura blushed and hissed at her mentor. "Tsunade-sama!" She didn't hear her reply as she had left the two of them to bother someone else.

"Ah Sakura-chan, Kazekage-sama, Merry Christmas." He said smiling with his eyes to her and nodding respectfully at Gaara who he had noticed when they arrived.

"Merry Christmas Kakashi-sensei!" She chirped happily, smiling back to him and trying her best to forget Tsunade's teasing taunts.

"Sakura, I have word from the others. They plan to get back to Konoha tonight." Kakashi stated with a sideways look to her.

"Oh that's wonderful! I had hoped they could be back for Christmas!" She smiled at him again before a loud voice interrupted them once more.

"Kakashi if you're not going to dance with her come here!" Shouted Tsunade from across the room.

"It seems I am needed somewhere else. Enjoy the party!" Kakashi said to her, winking as he handed her a gift.

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei! Did you get my gift?" She called to him as he turned to leave.

"Yes I did, you always outdo yourself Sakura-chan." He smiled at her with his usual eye crinkle and waved goodbye before walking over to Tsunade.

Gaara watched silently as Sakura watched Tsunade slap Kakashi on the back, nearly sending the poor Jonin through the wall.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this Gaara." Sakura sighed apologetically, shaking her head at Tsunade.

"I don't mind."

She searched his expression but found it blank and instead looked down at the gift. "Should I open it?" She questioned, giving the package with a wary glance.

"Are you expecting something bad?" He replied, wondering why she seemed so apprehensive.

"Last year he gave me a copy of one of his books. I have no idea how he reads those!" She shuddered. "Oh well he was my Sensei." She shrugged and began to open the gift.

"What exactly is it?" Gaara asked her, peering at the unwrapped gift.

Sakura didn't answer, she simply stared at it.

"Are you ok?" He watched as her shoulders began to shake and she turned away from him. He didn't know what was wrong with her and he suddenly became slightly alarmed. "Sakura?" He was about to see if she needed help when he heard a high pitched giggle escape her mouth. _"She's laughing?"_

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friends return!

"Sakura are you laughing?" Gaara asked slowly.

"Y-yes it's just, he got me this big ribbon with a bow on it." She giggled some more.

"Oh." He murmured, relaxing. _"Weird."_ He thought.

"As you have probably seen, Naruto gets on my nerves a lot. Well one time he was so persistent that even after I punted him across the village he came back and continued to bug me. After pummeling him I swore that I'd tie a ribbon with a big bow around his neck and make him wear it for a month if he ever was that annoying again. It was stupid and I was mad but apparently Kakashi remembered." She laughed a little and put the ribbon into her pocket.

Gaara nodded, still confused as to why it was so amusing to her. "The Hokage seems to be in good spirits tonight." He gestured to Tsunade who was laughing with Kurenai and Shizune a few tables over.

"Yeah that's a good thing; things get ugly when she's mad." Sakura stated, shivering at the thought. Gaara gave her a strange look for a moment, a saying he had once heard flashing through his mind. _"The nut doesn't fall far from the tree."_ Before he had a chance to say anything Tsunade stood up and grabbed a microphone from the stage in the front of the room. "Oh no, she's going to make a speech." Sakura groaned, covering her face with her hand.

"Is that a bad thing?" Gaara asked her.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it normally means she gets the DJ to start playing music and then she turns into Mrs. Matchmaker. She tries to get everyone to dance with someone. Last year I got stuck with Naruto who loved it and wasn't awful, Lee who dances like he trains, and Shino who wanted nothing to do with anyone." She shook her head. "Gaara, be prepared."

With a wary look, he watched Tsunade. _"She means that Tsunade's going to attempt to get us to dance."_ He tensed his shoulders and listened to her ramble on about the lovely party and presents.

"And now, DJ will you do the honors?" She turned to the DJ and he nodded flipping on a track. "It's time to dance!" She smiled and got off the stage walking right over to Sakura and Gaara as a feeling of uneasiness settled over them both. "There's my favorite student! Sakura, I'm surprised you haven't asked our visiting guest to dance! What ever happened to showing our famous Konoha hospitality?" She gave a fake look of shock before turning to grin at Gaara. "I'm sorry for my student's forgetfulness, but I am sure that she would be more than willing to extend our hospitality now right Sakura?" Tsunade turned and gave her a look that would have had most people shaking in their boots.

Sakura tensed slightly before attempting to protest."Oh Tsunade-sama I don't really dance…" Sakura tried to protest but Tsunade simply grabbed her arm.

"Nonsense I've seen you dance before! My prize pupil will not just sit there like a lump for the entire party! This year you will dance and you will like it!" She made it sound like a threat as she shoved her none too gently onto the dance floor. She gave Gaara a slight nod and gestured to Sakura. "Sakura needs a dance partner and you seem to need one too. I intend to have everyone dancing by the end of the night!" She waited until Gaara stiffly moved over to where Sakura was standing, watching as the Hokage gave them both a smirk and then slipped off to harass some other unsuspecting person.

"I told you she'd try to play matchmaker!" Sakura hissed crossing her arms in defiance.

"Not listening to her may prove dangerous. She is buzzed and I don't want to create an incident. We may as well dance or risk being physically forced to dance by her."

"We don't have to stay long. I don't plan on staying for more than two hours if that." Sakura shook her head.

Gaara nodded as the music began to thrum louder. It was a fast song and he was relieved. Fast songs meant that at least for now he didn't have to dance holding her. He'd attended many functions as the Kazekage and knew how to formally dance after being advised that he had to dance with the Daimyo's daughters or risk political retribution from a council who already didn't approve of almost everything he did.

Sakura began to sway and eventually began to copy the other dancer's movements. The lights were dimmed and colored lights came on. Gaara copied Sakura and stiffly danced. _"Me dancing at a party in Konoha. Never in a million years would I have ever thought this could happen."_ He shook his head a little and continued his movements. The song ended and another started this one was familiar to Gaara and he felt a little more comfortable shuffling on the dance floor. Perhaps all of those unbearable political parties had taught him something after all.

Sakura tried hard not to blush as she danced alongside the tall red head. _"I'm dancing with Gaara! It seems impossible but here I am and it's happening!"_ The two shuffled along to the fast music for another four songs under the watchful eye of Tsunade who had reappeared the moment the two had begun to shuffle off the dance floor. They begrudgingly continued to dance until a slow song came on. Sakura froze and looked at the other dancers pairing off and swaying slowly. _"Oh no, oh no no no."_ Sakura panicked in her head looking at Gaara who had seemed to have frozen as well but was quickly recovering due to an angry looking Tsunade staring at them. He grabbed her hand without looking at her and began to sway quietly to the music.

"Sorry." Gaara whispered to Sakura turning in a slow circle. He had a hand on her back and one in her hand and was trying his best to move away from Tsunade's view.

"It's ok I think she was ready to strike." Sakura gave a nervous smile and put her hand on his back as well. She blushed a little and looked down as they moved in a circle to the slow song.

Gaara was unfortunately used to dancing like this by now but not with someone he knew. Usually at political functions he was forced to dance with daughters of lords and pompous fools looking for a leg up in politics.

Something about dancing with Sakura felt different from the other girls. Perhaps it was because he knew her. He risked looking at her as they danced and noticed how different she looked in the low light. Her pink hair was more vibrant than in the light of the clouded streets and the redness of her cheeks was now very apparent.

He spun her once and she caught his eye, quickly looking down and effectively hiding her blushing face in shadow. Gaara hadn't missed the color of her vibrant green eyes and the look she gave him as they danced. It made him want to reach out and lift her face up to see her features more clearly.

He held back and continued to move in their slow, routine, circle. The song was graciously short and after it ended they both pulled away and walked off the dance floor.

"Gaara do you want to go? We've been here for an hour and a half." Sakura questioned, brushing her hair away from her face.

Gaara nodded, deciding one slow dance with her was rather enough for him tonight. He was still attempting to rationalize what he had begun to notice about her and the feelings were confusing him greatly.

Sakura glanced across the room before groaning slightly. "We have to say goodbye to Tsunade-sama and then try to escape before she realizes we've gone." Gaara looked over to where Tsunade was currently hanging on the arm of a very uncomfortable looking Izumo. With a glance at Sakura he decided it was best to leave her out of it.

"Let me handle this." Sakura looked at him bewilderedly and shook her head.

"Gaara you don't know how to handle her." Gaara glanced at her and shook his head.

"I have gotten out of situations with my council much more difficult than handling a goodbye. I will make it quick." Sakura shrugged.

"If you are willing to risk it, then be my guest." She gestured in front of her and watched in awe as Gaara moved across the room with her behind him. They stopped at the coat desk and collected their things before moving towards where Tsunade stood.

With a determined look in his eyes, Gaara stopped just short of Tsunade and waited as Izumo and Kotetsu respectfully bowed to him and backed away, both looking grateful for his intervention. Tsunade, realizing her attending shinobi had escaped, stopped her chatter and turned around to look at him. "Ah my dear Kazekage! Yes what is it?" Her eyes focused on him with obvious difficulty and Gaara silently thanked his luck that she was intoxicated again.

"I wish to thank you for your hospitality. I enjoyed your party but it's getting rather late and Sakura needs to get home. Have a nice Christmas Hokage-sama." He bowed quickly before grabbing Sakura's arm dragging her quickly out of Tsunade's line of vision. Gaara glanced at Tsunade's stunned face, only just realizing what he had said, and quickly shut the door to the club closing out the warmth and leaving them in the chilly afternoon air.

"Wow…" Sakura murmured, standing completely still as if still processing what they had just done. "We just escaped Tsunade-sama's Christmas Party! That is a feat which has only ever been accomplished by Kakashi-sensei!" She beamed. "You talked so fast to her she didn't have time to realize what you had said!" He watched her with slight amusement as she laughed and clapped her hands together in excitement.

"It was nothing Sakura. I do it often at political meetings."

Sakura watched his calm demeanor and found herself blushing a little, realizing how stupid she must have sounded blabbering about how wonderful he was at talking to Tsunade-sama.

 _"Ugh Sakura! Why do you have to be so stupid!"_ She silently scolded herself and walked quietly beside Gaara, her mannerisms now subdued. They passed through the town with little incident, and found themselves turning onto her street before either one spoke a word.

"Kakashi-sensei said that Naruto and the others will be back tonight. No doubt that means that I will be having a Christmas party of my own at my house." She sighed. "I'll start dinner, I have these things stocked up in case something like this happens, would you mind helping with some snacks? You don't have to of course." She looked at him apologetically as she opened the door.

"Simply tell me what you want me to do. So long as it doesn't involve cooking I am sure I can manage."

"We can put out some chips and kebabs for snacks to start. I'll make sushi and barbeque. The stuff for the kebabs is in the cupboard over there. Again Gaara I'm sorry to make you do this I wouldn't have you do it if I would have known they would be back so soon." She apologized to him.

He waved her off. "Sakura, please. Stop apologizing."

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's friends are a lovable mess of a group of people. Sleepover because of a storm. Naruto, Kiba and Lee are annoying but nice and Ino is Ino. Gaara copes.

"Do you want me to put the kebabs in the living room?" Gaara asked holding a tray full of food.

"Yes please Gaara. I'll be in there in a minute once I finish with the barbeque." She walked into the room a few moments later holding a huge plate laden with food. Gaara had set down his and walked over to take it from her. "I've got it Gaara! There's another in the kitchen that we can leave in there."

"This seems like a lot of food. How many people are going to be here?" Gaara asked looking at the huge platter. Sakura placed a heat cover over top of it and then shrugged.

"Oh only about eleven, not including us, and I have a feeling Neji and Shino aren't going to stay long as they hate large crowds. Chouji will most likely leave as well. Shikamaru will leave with Chouji since his mother wants to see him today and I am sure Hinata will be forced to follow Neji home or risk the wrath of the Hyuugas." She waved her hand idly as if having the entire rookie nine plus Team Gai in one room was a regular occurrence. Gaara watched as she moved back into the kitchen before turning to look at the overly full table in front of him.

"But still this is a huge amount of food." He said as he heard a crash from the kitchen. Immediately he was beside her, his eyes scanning the room out of paranoia in place of fear.

"I'm fine, just dropped a bowl. Well I had to take into account that Chouji's going to be here and he can eat a whole platter by himself." She mumbled as she bent down to pick up the bowl's spilled contents.

"Here Sakura I'll get it." Gaara bent down and placed the spilled items into the bowl. Sakura blinked at him and stood up as he handed the bowl back to her. It was very quiet all of a sudden as the two made eye contact and froze for a moment, staring at each other. Only a few seconds passed but to each of them it felt like hours.

 _"Her eyes are so…different. Why haven't I ever noticed them?"_ Gaara thought.

 _"His eyes seem so sad. They are so lonely. I've never seen eyes like that before."_ Sakura thought. She blushed and looked away breaking the gaze and awkward silence. Gaara also turned away, sudden feelings hitting him that he found incredibly hard to explain.

"You should go get ready, I'll finish with this." Sakura mumbled, turning to start washing the dishes in the sink.

Gaara nodded and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts. _"His eyes had such sadness in them. I almost forgot that eyes could hold so much pain. They looked so lonely and cold but somehow, hopeful."_ She thought.

Turning off the water in the sink, Sakura realized the sound she was hearing was the shower running. She continued her washing, deciding that Gaara had gone to clean up. _"I think I'll go get cleaned up myself."_ She mused, finishing up what few dishes she had yet to wash before glancing at the clock. _"I have a few hours I suppose. A quick rinse couldn't hurt."_ She wiped her hands off on a towel and turned to leave the kitchen.

She had barely turned the corner into the hallway before she hit something hard and fleshy. She stepped back and looked up only to find herself staring at a wet haired Gaara. He returned her look with a surprised one of his own. In a moment of clarity Sakura realized that he was wearing only a towel around his waist and his bare chest was showing. With a sudden shock of horror Sakura also realized that she had just run into him. "I-I'm so sorry!" she stuttered to him finding that her voice embarrassingly came out as a squeak.

"Its fine Sakura I wasn't paying attention." She nodded and blushed before hurrying past him and into her bedroom, leaving behind a very confused Gaara in her wake.

"Oh my god I can't believe I just did that!" She breathed into her hands, her face still red from the encounter.

 **"His chest was so masculine! Did you get a look at that six pack?"** Inner crooned.

 _"You're not helping!"_ Sakura growled back, once again tuning her out. With difficulty, Sakura controlled her rapid breathing before taking a glance at the clock. Angry at her reaction, she quickly began to undress for her shower.

 _"What is wrong with you Sakura?! You act like you haven't seen shirtless men before! You are a medic, you see all kinds of naked people all the time! Collect yourself, take a nice hot shower in my bathroom and clean up for our guests."_ She mentally scolded herself, stepping into her connected bathroom and silently thanking everything that it was not outside of her room.

The water warmed up quickly and Sakura smiled as she stepped into the relaxing heat. She quickly washed her hair and body and let the warm water run over her before bracing herself for the cold air outside of the shower. Even being a ninja didn't help keeping her from squealing as she jumped out and quickly wrapped herself in a towel, shivering at the cold.

Glancing once more at the time, she ran into her room and threw on a pair of black pants and a long sleeved red shirt before setting to the task of her unruly pink hair. After struggling with a style for a few minutes she gave up and just combed it down, tying a red ribbon around it to hold it back. She glanced at the clock and walked out of her room and down into the kitchen. "Gaara is anyone here yet?" she called to him.

"No." He walked into the kitchen dressed in his usual red zip up jacket with black pants and leaned against the doorframe. "I think we will know when Naruto gets here." Sakura laughed and then shook her head.

"That's Naruto for you!" She smiled at him and watched as he stared at her for a moment, causing her cheeks to turn slightly pink. She turned away quickly, suddenly realized how silly she must look. Gaara's eyes narrowed and he watched as she pretended to arrange the food on the table.

"Why do you do that?" Gaara asked furrowing his brow before walking over to her.

"Do what?" She asked, staring intently at one of the trays of appetizers.

"Get embarrassed and turn away when you look at me." Gaara moved a bowl of ramen off to the side so he could lean on the table.

"I don't know, I didn't realize I did that." She turned away again, moving another platter over to the table.

"You just did it again. Sakura, you don't have to be embarrassed of your smile, I like it." Sakura turned to look at him for a moment, staring down at her shoes and shaking her head.

"I don't know why I do it I'm normally not this bad." She blushed again and picked up a bowl of chips, carrying it quickly into the living room.

Gaara furrowed his brow. _"She's so embarrassed around me now. Why is she like this? Temari would know. Maybe it's because she is alone with me. She shouldn't be embarrassed. I find her rather…attractive."_ Gaara furrowed his brow at this last thought. Yes the kunoichi was definitely attractive. That much he knew for sure. But what exactly it meant to him was something he was still trying to make sense of. Barring the thoughts he was desperately trying to ignore from the remnants of Shukaku's consciousness.

He stood still and watched as Sakura walked back into the kitchen, trying to analyze exactly what it was about her that made him feel so, strange. They both stopped and looked at each other for a moment. Gaara felt himself walking closer to her as if getting near her would help him figure out what exactly he was feeling. Just as he was nearing her, they heard the door open and Sakura quickly went to go see who it was, effectively breaking Gaara out of his thoughts.

Sakura opened the door, barely having time to react before a very loud voice filled the room.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted happily, picking her off the ground in a bear hug.

"Naruto! You're back! I've missed you!" She giggled as he put her down.

"Merry Christmas Sakura-chan!" He smiled a big cheesy Naruto grin and handed her a box wrapped in red paper.

"Oh Naruto you shouldn't have!" She smiled at him and opened it with gusto, holding up a pretty little bracelet with a little pink flower charm dangling off of it. "Thank you so much Naruto it's so pretty!" She gave him a quick hug and then motioned for him to come inside.

Gaara watched as Naruto turned the corner and spotted him, watching as the blonde froze in his tracks and then gave an ear splitting grin. "Gaara! How are you here? None of us knew you were coming! When'd you get here?"

"The day before yesterday." Naruto smiled and grasped his arm in greeting.

"It's great to see you! Merry Christmas!" Gaara gave him a small smile. "You know I actually just saw Temari and Kankuro briefly yesterday, we crossed paths as they were headed back to Suna. How long are you staying in Konoha?"

"Possibly for a week or more. These storms are delaying my return." He explained as Naruto nodded obviously happy to hear that he was staying longer in Konoha.

"Great! I can give you another tour of Konoha while you are here." Naruto said grinning. "Are you staying at the Hokage Tower?" He questioned as Gaara shook his head.

"Sakura was kind enough to offer me a place here." Naruto looked surprised but quickly laughed and grinned.

"That's our Sakura-chan! Always helping out a friend in need!" Sakura rolled her eyes as she passed the two boys, heading into the kitchen before calling out to Naruto.

"Naruto I made you some of my homemade ramen, you'd better get some now before the others show up." Sakura looked up with a small shake of her head, seeing the blonde now standing impatiently in her kitchen, his hands outstretched and a grin on his face.

"I thought you might be hungry." Sakura said, holding out a bowl to him.

"Thanks Sakura-chan! You're seriously the best!" He took it with a grin, beginning to eat it with his usual gusto. Sakura rolled her eyes before turning to Gaara who had just walked into the room.

"There are more guests at the door." He stated calmly. Sakura nodded and shot a glance at Naruto before turning back to Gaara.

"Be sure he leaves some ramen for the rest of us." Gaara nodded as Sakura went to answer the door ignoring Naruto's whine of protest at this accusation.

She had barely opened the door all the way when a blur of green went flying towards her.

"Sakura-san!" Lee flung through the door with a loud call and Sakura expertly moved aside to avoid his clumsy entrance.

"Hi Lee! Merry Christmas!" She smiled sweetly to him. She let Lee shake her hand enthusiastically as he smiled happily and was then quickly pushed away by Tenten as she walked in.

"Hey Sakura! Sorry we weren't here yesterday. We got caught up in some stuff." Tenten said hugging her. Neji nodded to Sakura stiffly and followed Tenten inside as Sakura shut the door behind them.

"Since I'm sure you're all hungry, there's food in the kitchen and the living room. Just sit wherever." Sakura waved her hand casually, following them to the kitchen where Gaara was guarding the ramen from a protesting Naruto. Sakura watched as Tenten shot her a surprised look upon noticing Gaara, to which Sakura merely shrugged.

"Kazekage-sama." Lee greeted Gaara respectfully, bowing immediately to him as Gaara shook his head. They had reconciled their issues from the Chunin Exams long before and Lee was more comfortable around Gaara now.

"Please call me Gaara." Lee nodded and grinned at him before turning to Naruto and greeting him with his usual banter.

"Merry Christmas Gaara-san." Tenten stated, giving him an awkward look as he nodded to her and returned her greeting.

"Sakura-san is that your delicious ramen I smell?" Lee inquired smiling at her as she rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Go ahead and get a bowl Lee. Just make sure you leave enough for the others!" Lee grinned before heading over to fill his bowl.

"Tenten, there's barbeque in the living room if you'd like." Tenten smiled and followed her happily.

"Thanks Sakura! Man what a great welcome home party!" She smiled as Sakura laughed and shook her head.

"It's the least I could do on Christmas! I'm just glad you're all back ok." She smiled again before going to go sit down next to Gaara who had assumed a position on the couch. Neji stood in the corner as usual, merely staying as a politeness until the others arrived.

"You know, I find it incredibly interesting that all of you seem to flock to my house for parties that you are unaware of." Tenten laughed, swallowing her barbeque before grinning at Sakura.

"Well we all know how much you love having us here! Besides, we were told by Kotetsu and Izumo that you were having a Christmas party for us." Sakura gawked at her for a moment as Tenten burst out laughing. "No doubt on Tsunade-sama's orders." Sakura shook her head.

"Drunken orders no doubt. Well I sort of expected it so at least it's not a problem." She smiled as Tenten took another bite of barbeque before both heard the sound of knocking at the door.

"I'll be right back." She mentioned, standing up to answer the door once again.

"Merry Christmas Forehead!" Ino grinned, enveloping her best friend in a hug as she moved into the house.

"Merry Christmas to you too Ino-pig!" Sakura laughed at her before turning to greet the others behind her.

"Shikamaru, Choji, good to see you! Merry Christmas!" Choji smiled brightly at her and moved inside, giving her a hug and a reply of "Merry Christmas!" before moving into the house.

"Hey Sakura, Merry Christmas." Shikamaru smiled at her, as she pulled him into a quick hug.

"Good to see you Shika. Food's in the living room, better get to it before the others do." She smiled as Shikamaru sighed his usual 'troublesome' sigh and moved into the house. She had just shut the door and turned when another knock sounded against the wood.

"Come on in you guys! It's freezing out there!" Sakura greeted the former Team Kurenai, watching as the three ninja walked inside and shut the door behind them.

"Merry Christmas Sakura!" Kiba grinned, flashing her his usual toothy smile. Sakura looked behind him as if expecting to see Akamaru and give him a hug before turning back to the dog-nin with a questioning glance. "Ah yeah Akamaru is back at the compound. One of the nin-kins is having pups and he was put on guard duty." Sakura nodded.

"Well then you'll have to tell him Merry Christmas from me Kiba. You'd better hurry, Naruto and Lee are already going at the ramen." With a call of thanks he disappeared into the kitchen as Sakura turned to greet Hinata and Shino, both of whom murmured a 'Merry Christmas' before moving further into the house.

Sakura sighed and walked into the living room where the ninja had gathered, taking up most of the living room as they munched on the food and chatted to one another. Nearly everyone had noticed the appearance of Gaara and Sakura was already receiving a few looks from her friends, to which she merely shook her head as if to say "I was surprised as well."

With a boisterous round of laughter, the trio of ramen-lovers entered the room again, immediately livening up the atmosphere as they settled in to their respective seats. Sakura took a seat on the couch, immediately flanked by Naruto and Lee, both settling in to her sides as they munched on their ramen.

"Sakura-chan can we watch a movie?" Naruto asked settling in next to her as she rolled her eyes.

"Sure Naruto. Is that ok with you guys?" Sakura asked as everyone nodded as Naruto flicked on the tv, searching for a movie to watch as the others made small talk.

"Great food Sakura!" Choji complimented, loading his plate with barbeque.

"Thanks Choji! Of course I can't take all the credit, Gaara helped as well." Sakura smiled as Naruto coughed a little and swallowed his ramen.

 _"Gaara helping her? Wow he's changed."_ Naruto thought. He merely smiled. "Thanks Gaara."

Gaara nodded stiffly from his place on a chair in the corner. He wasn't used to such a tight gathering of friends and was trying to adjust to the comfortable atmosphere. Before Naruto decided on a movie Shino and Neji moved forwards into the room, said a quick, "Goodbye and Merry Christmas." And left their presents for the others on the table after pulling them out of their scrolls. Hinata smiled apologetically at the others and murmured a quiet "Merry Christmas" before following Neji outside.

As soon as they had left, Naruto put his arm casually behind Sakura and started the movie. Sakura had become more comfortable with Naruto over the years and didn't particularly mind the gesture. She was fine with the closeness, until Lee scooted closer to her other side as the movie began.

Sakura knew Lee had never gotten over his crush with her, and where Naruto had accepted her as a sister figure, Lee was still rather infatuated with her. With a quick movement she said that she was going to go make some popcorn and quickly stood up, causing Lee and Naruto to fall together and clunk heads.

"Ok Sakura-chan hurry back!" Naruto called rubbing his head and shoving Lee away.

Gaara watched her go and quietly slunk out of the room to get a breather from the friend group. "Can I help?" He murmured quietly as he walked into the kitchen. Sakura jumped slightly and turned around to face Gaara.

"Ah yeah, thanks." She turned back to the stove, pouring the popcorn into the cooker as Gaara pulled out bowls from where she mentioned they were kept. "Sorry I left so suddenly but Naruto and Lee were making me claustrophobic." She sighed and leaned back on the counter.

"I realized they were being rather clingy. Are they always like that to you?" He asked leaning next to her to watch the movie from the kitchen while the popcorn popped.

She nodded. "It drives me insane they pull me in two directions sometimes. Naruto is always affectionate in a platonic sort of way but Lee is still a lot to deal with, and together? They are terrible. Lee makes Naruto protective in some ways but really it just makes him smother me."

"Is there no way to tell them that?" Gaara questioned, suddenly unhappy with the idea of both of them hanging on Sakura. Sakura shook her head.

"It would hurt their feelings if I did." Gaara was quiet for a moment and then began to speak once more.

"You could distract them and take your seat back."

"Yeah but what will that do? They will just come back and sit there." She sighed. "I'm just going to be squished for the night. If they get too annoying I'll just shove them off."

"When they get up I'll sit there." Sakura turned to him, a bit surprised and then nodded slowly.

"That could work. I will try it at least." Sakura smiled and went about pouring the popcorn into the bowls before picking one up and leaving the kitchen, letting Gaara grab the other one.

She sat back down and settled into Naruto's arm and let Lee get close to her before saying quietly. "There's only a little ramen left in the kitchen I was wondering if you guys wanted it." Lee and Naruto shot up and gave each other death glares before shouting. "Mine!" and running out of the room. Gaara casually walked in as everyone turned to see Lee and Naruto leave.

"What is wrong with those two?" He asked as if he had no idea what was going on.

"Oh they're just competing for food." Tenten said shrugging and turning back to the movie as the others shook their heads, very used to the antics of the two competing ninja.

Gaara shrugged and sat down next to Sakura holding his plate full of food.

"Thanks Gaara!" Sakura whispered pulling her feet up so that nobody could sit on her other side. She grabbed a blanket and snuggled under it while Naruto and Lee came back into the room.

"Hey we were sitting next to Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.

She shrugged. "You moved and Gaara had every right to sit here! There is another chair you know." Sakura retorted as Naruto and Lee both gave in at her angry glare.

Lee kept glancing at Sakura and Gaara. Knowing he couldn't socially oppose the Kazekage, he got up and sat in front of Sakura on the ground with his head resting on her legs. Sakura rolled her eyes and watched as Naruto stood up as well. He moved over to her and sat on the edge of the couch, giving her a smile as she sighed. With one more roll of her eyes, she moved closer to Gaara, causing him to give her a quizzical look as Naruto slid into the spot left vacant by her.

"You are impossible sometimes you know that right?" She murmured as Naruto chuckled and slid his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah but that's what makes me so endearing." Sakura just sighed exasperated and continued to watch the movie. Gaara didn't move but glanced at Sakura, sufficiently wedged between the two shinobi.

 _"Why do those guys hang on her every minute? They practically suffocate her!"_ He frowned and turned back to the movie. About halfway through the movie, Choji and Shikamaru stood up and nodded to everyone, thanking Sakura for the party before leaving.

Ino still sat on the couch with Tenten who stretched and grabbed one of the popcorn bowls munching on it as she watched the film. Kiba still lounged on the recliner, stretched out and relaxed. Outside the wind began to howl particularly loudly and Kiba playfully howled along with it.

"Kiba! Quiet we can't hear the movie!" Ino whined throwing a pillow at him. He snickered and threw it back at her.

"I can't help it it's such a nice sound." He grinned at her, doing it purely to get a rise out of her as she rolled her eyes.

"Sakura would you mind if I put the dog out? I just don't want him slobbering on the furniture." She wrinkled her nose up at Kiba. He stuck out his tongue at her and she laughed as the movie came to an end.

"I don't like the sound of the wind during a snowstorm it gives me the creeps." Sakura said pulling the blanket up to her chest snuggling down into it.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan I'll protect you!" Naruto said squeezing her shoulders.

"Yeah it's ok Sakura-san you're safe here!" Lee said looking at her with big eyes.

"You guys are such dorks." She smiled at them and shook her head. "I don't want you guys to have to leave in this weather though. It's horrible outside! You know, why don't you guys spend the night here." She smiled at the group as Ino raised her eyebrows. Sakura shot her a look that squashed any perverted thoughts the other girl might be having.

"Really Sakura-chan!? You'd let us stay?" Naruto questioned with his big blue eyes even wider than normal.

"Yeah Sakura I wouldn't want to intrude." Tenten said to her.

Sakura shook her head decisively. "It's no problem and Naruto you crash here all the time this isn't anything new to you!" She shook her head as he grinned. "I have extra blankets and pillows as well as sleeping bags if you guys want them. I know you all live close but even I wouldn't want to have to walk home in this." She smiled at them all as the girls shook their head and smiled as the boys gave each other high fives and Kiba grinned a goofy grin.

"Thanks Sakura! I don't even know if I could find my way home tonight the snow's coming down so hard that I think even my sense of smell would be messed up." Kiba stated stretching on the recliner.

"Hey forehead, we could play beauty parlor later." Ino crooned with a rather evil looking grin.

"Oh I love playing that! I'm great with hair!" Tenten exclaimed.

"I hope we don't have to play that! I want to play truth or dare!" Naruto chimed in.

"We can play that too Naruto." Sakura sighed, the blonde really was like a child sometimes. "I'm going to go get changed and then we can set up the sleeping area. You boys can move the couches back to have more room." Sakura said.

"I'll get a fire started so we get some more heat in here." Kiba mentioned as he stood up and stretched.

"Great idea Kiba. Come on Ino, Tenten, I have some clothes that you guys can wear." She stood up and the girls left the room, leaving the boys to work on setting up the room.

Sakura didn't notice the pair of turquoise eyes watching her leave.

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, weird party games I pulled out of nowhere for the sake of moving plot. Ino is that one girl at every sleepover who manages to work in something with makeup.

"Naruto I wouldn't go spy on them if I were you. She would either punch your face in or throw you out in the snow, or both." Kiba chimed in as the blonde stood up to sneak off.

"Awww Kiba you're no fun." He pouted and sat back down.

"I'm just calling it like it is man. Besides, she's your team mate and kind of like your sister more than anything right?" Naruto nodded as Kiba sighed. "Well I got the fire started, now where are the girls? How long does it take to get changed?" Kiba sat back and crossed his arms.

"Oh come on Kiba it wasn't that long." Ino said walking into the room in a purple shirt with loose black pants on.

"You boys are so impatient." Tenten said waving her finger at them reproachfully. She wore loose grey pants and her usual white tank top with her white jacket on overtop.

Sakura came in last wearing a pink tank top like Tenten's but with red cherries in the corner. She had on a pair of red pants and pink socks on with a red sweater over it all. Naruto smiled and patted the spot next to him on the rug as Sakura moved into the room.

"Oh I almost forgot! I'll go grab the blankets and pillows." Sakura exclaimed with a slight face palm before turning around.

"I'll help." Gaara stated, casually following her out of the room.

"Sakura-chan is sleeping next to me tonight so everyone else find your own spot!" Naruto called. Sakura heard a loud "Ooof!" and then Ino's laughter. She smiled and went to go find the blankets.

"Can I be of any help?" Gaara asked following her to the entrance of her room. He looked around at the white room, plain and simple with wooden furniture, and noted how very clean she kept it. She turned around with a small start upon hearing his voice, but quickly reovered.

"Sure! Can you hold onto these?" She grabbed some pillows off of her bed and then turned to grab some more blankets and pillows off of a shelf in her closet, setting them all on her bed before handing the pillows to Gaara. Immediately he picked up on a sweet scent he assumed was her laundry detergent.

He took the pillows into the living room and dumped them on Naruto, who protested audibly, before going to help Sakura bring in the blankets.

"Here let me." He took the blankets from her and tossed them onto Naruto as well.

"Hey!" He called from under the pile. Sakura laughed a little and went to go grab some sleeping bags as well. Gaara followed. They walked down the hall and searched for some sleeping bags in the closet, only managing to find three.

"I guess some of us won't have any sleeping bags. Oh well we have extra blankets." She grabbed one of the bags and Gaara grabbed the other two. _"Gosh He's being really helpful lately. He didn't used to be like this. It's a good change."_ She followed him out into the hall and tried to fit past him ending up in them both having to shuffle to get out of the situation. Sakura blushed slightly and shuffled off to the side. "I'm sorry Gaara." She murmured, looking away from his stare.

"Sakura I told you not to do that." He growled lightly. She slowly turned her head back to look at him. "I don't mind." He smiled gently at her and she blushed again. She looked up at the ceiling and blushed even more, shifting her gaze to the ground. Gaara looked up and saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging in the door frame that she suspected was Ino's doing. "Oh." He whispered. He tilted her head up and looked at her blushing face. _"She's cute when she blushes."_ He thought, moving his face close to hers before pecking her lightly on the cheek. He pulled back with a small smile and then walked away, leaving Sakura completely frozen in his wake.

 _"That was unexpected! Gaara kissed me on the cheek!"_ She blushed more ferociously and felt as though her face was on fire. This was certainly turning out to be interesting. The red haired Kazekage had most certainly changed. With a rather uncoordinated step forwards she found herself caught on something to which she attempted to kick off, resulting in a very downwards movement and a rather loud squeak of horror and a 'thump' as she found herself face to face with the floor. She groaned loudly rubbing her head.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto gasped, hurtling through the hallway to see Sakura picking herself off the floor from where she had become tangled in the sleeping bag.

"Sakura-san! What happened?" Lee worriedly questioned, helping her up.

She shook her head and waved him off. "I'm fine, I just tripped on that stupid sleeping bag." Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he picked up the sleeping bag for her and watched her rub her head.

"You really need to be more careful Sakura-chan! Lets go get you some ice for your head." Naruto began, putting his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged him off.

"I'm fine Naruto." She huffed, quickly raising a hand full of green chakra to numb the pain.

"Oh. I forgot you could do that." Naruto said sheepishly rubbing his head.

Sakura rolled her eyes and flicking him playfully on the brow before walking into the living room.

"What was all that racket?" Kiba questioned as Sakura came into the room.

"Nothing I just tripped." She replied, waving her hand nonchalantly towards him as she set up her sleeping bag on the floor.

"Jeez you're so klutzy Forehead it's hard to believe you're a kunoichi." Ino said playfully. Sakura merely stuck her tongue out at her as Ino laughed.

"Come on guys let's play beauty parlor." Ino squealed, changing the subject abruptly.

"Uhhh I'd rather not." Kiba stated, his face scrunching up.

"Well as much as I'd like to see you in lipstick, I guess you guys can be the judges and we can model some hairstyles and makeup and you can rate it one to ten." Tenten explained to Kiba.

"Sure as long as I don't have to participate in the makeover thing I'm in." Naruto said plopping himself down next to Sakura.

"Yeah me too!" Lee agreed, as he sat down on Sakura's other side.

"Ok Sakura, Tenten, we can go into the other room and get all beautified while you boys watch something on TV or whatever. Then you can judge us!" Ino said pulling on Sakura's hand.

Sakura didn't complain as she sort of wanted to get out of there. Gaara was sitting next to Kiba avoiding eye contact with her and she didn't want to make him embarrassed. _"After all he is going be here for like quite a while."_

"I totally call doing Sakura's hair first!" Tenten piped up happily once they were seated on Sakura's bed.

"Ok I'll do her makeup!" Ino said holding up some eye shadow.

"What style should I do?" Tenten asked Ino, as she began combing through Sakura's hair.

"Hmmm I don't know. Try some type of up-do or bun." Ino said holding up different shades of eye shadow before settling on a light pink.

Tenten giggled and began to pull up Sakura's hair. "Your hair is so soft Sakura! How do you get it this soft?" Tenten gushed as she began to twist it carefully.

"Hikari's Strawberry Shampoo. It's my favorite kind, I use it all of the time." She smiled and closed her eyes as Ino put on the eye shadow. She began to giggle and Ino snorted.

"What's so funny forehead?" She asked, starting on her other eye.

"This reminds me of when we were kids and we used to play dress up and makeover." She giggled again as Ino smiled.

"I remember that. It was always so much fun. You used to always want to play it." Ino began to apply a thin layer of lip gloss to Sakura's lips as Tenten put two hair sticks in the back and stepped back to look at her.

"Oh Sakura! You look beautiful!" She gushed over her.

"Really?" She asked as she glanced in the mirror and gasped a little. Her hair was spiraled up behind her head elegantly and the two hair sticks had little red beads hanging off of the ends that seemed to accent the style. Her green eyes seemed brighter and fuller with the pink eye shadow and her lips had a slight shimmer that was elegant but plain. The style suited her perfectly. It was elegant enough for a party but plain enough that it wasn't overly flashy or would stand out too much.

"Ino it's your turn!" Ino sat on the bed and Tenten began on her hair, chatting about how the color had darkened over the winter and trying a few styles before settling on one she liked. She ended up putting it in a ponytail with a small braid at the beginning. Sakura worked on putting on light purple eye shadow and a light pink lip stick.

Ino opened her eyes and immediately began to smile. She loved the style and gushed over Tenten's hair skills.

"You guys should open a salon!" Sakura rolled her eyes and hit her arm lightly.

"Yeah because we both have so much time and most definitely don't have jobs as kunoichi." Ino laughed as Tenten grinned.

"Alrighty Tenten, it's your turn!" Ino crooned. More than happy to try her hand at Tenten's makeup. She put on a light green eye shadow and pink gloss for her lips as Sakura pulled Tenten's hair into one large bun with an intricate braid at the base.

"Oh you look so pretty!" Ino squealed. Tenten giggled and looked at herself in the mirror.

"We look amazing!" Tenten agreed. "Too bad we never really get to get dressed up like this." Ino chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Well we are now so let's go and get judged." She grabbed Sakura's hand and towed her out of the room. "Oh boys are you ready to judge us?" Ino trilled from the kitchen.

"Yes!" Kiba, Lee and Naruto called in unison.

"I really want to see how they did Sakura-chan's makeup. I never see her wear any." Naruto mentioned excitedly.

"I am sure she looks wonderful." Lee agreed.

"Come on already!" Kiba howled.

"Ok then." Ino walked in followed by Tenten and Sakura.

"Wow! You guys look amazing!" Lee said looking at them with a smile. Kiba whistled appreciatively and grinned.

"I give Ino an eight, Tenten an eight and um the back of Sakura's head a seven." Kiba smirked.

"Come on Sakura-chan turn around!" Naruto whined. Ino grabbed her shoulders and spun Sakura around pushing her onto a couch.

"Sakura's a ten." Kiba laughed boisterously. Naruto's blue eyes grew wide as he grinned and Lee merely fell over into a faint.

Gaara, who had been sitting calmly on the couch, gave Sakura a looked of approval and caught Sakura's blushing glance. Ino laughed at Naruto and shook her head at Lee who was out cold on the ground.

"Wow Sakura you've brought the house down!" Ino said laughing. Sakura blushed and hid her face.

"I'm gonna go clean up." She muttered and walked out of the room. _"Gaara was staring. Am I really that pretty with makeup?"_ She looked at herself in the mirror.

 ** _"You aren't pretty you're gorgeous! Of course Gaara stared you were hot enough to knock out Lee!"_ ** Inner squealed to her.

She quickly shut Inner out as she pulled her hair out of its twisted bun. It had been a long time since her Inner self had been so active. She sighed as she let her hair down and began to wipe off her makeup. "Ino's going to be mad but oh well." She couldn't help but smiling a little bit. Gaara was certainly becoming even more intriguing than usual.

 _"He really has changed."_ She thought as she turned to leave the room and face the others once more.

End of Chapter 8!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Party games continue. Ino is a weird friend.

"Hey Sakura-chan, come on!" Naruto whined from the other room.

"I'm coming hold on!" Sakura yelled back to him. She grabbed her pillow and walked into the living room.

"Awww Sakura! Why'd you have to take your makeup off?" Ino cried, looking at her with a slight pout on her face. "It looked really nice on you!"

"It was uncomfortable and I didn't want to knock out Lee again." She shrugged and sat down on her sleeping bag. Naruto watched her for a moment before smiling broadly.

"You look good without any makeup Sakura, you don't look like yourself when you have it on." She laughed and smiled back at her clueless teammate.

"Thanks Naruto." Tenten yawned and stretched before standing up.

"I think I am going to go take my makeup off as well. You guys can deal with waking up the beast." Tenten waved to them over her shoulder and walked down the hall to Sakura's bathroom.

"I might as well go with her." Ino said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Well thanks for the help Ino-pig!" Sakura huffed.

"Any time Forehead!"

"Sakura when do you think he's going to wake up?" Kiba asked, poking Lee in the shoulder.

"Not for a while." She said glancing at Lee who was drooling a little.

"Aww man I really wanted to play truth or dare with them!" Kiba whined to her.

"I think I know how to get him up sooner." She said smiling a little. "Naruto if you say…" Sakura leaned over and whispered the rest in his ear. Naruto nodded enthusiastically as Sakura laid down on the floor with her arms a little askew. Gaara looked at Sakura with a confused expression.

"What's so funny?" He asked, puzzled as to why Sakura was laying on the floor in that odd angle.

"Wait and see."He grinned devilishly. With a leap he stood up and shouted. "OH MY GOSH SAKURA!" Lee's eyes shot open and he jumped off the floor and into a fight position ready to fight off any intruders. With a quick glance around the room he noticed Sakura on the floor let out a gargled shout of horror.

"Sakura-san! Naruto what happened?!" Lee bent down and was about to pick her up when she began to laugh and he backed off. "Sakura you're ok?" He heard laughter coming from Naruto then Kiba who had started to howl with laughter, completely doubled over. "Ah this was a joke! Youthful fun, I see!"

Sakura laughed as well and sat up and smiling at Naruto who was grinning proudly.

Gaara caught Sakura watching him for a moment before she blushed and turned away.

 _"She's still embarrassed. I'll have to talk to her when the others are gone. I will not have her acting this way the entire time I am here."_ He continued to keep his face neutral, trying his best to hide his frustration.

"Sorry about scaring you Lee. It was Sakura's idea." Naruto mentioned, flopping back down onto the ground next to Sakura.

"Well if it was Sakura-san's idea, then I guess it was a pretty funny joke!" He smiled as Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You two are too much." Naruto smiled at her earning a smile from Sakura as well.

Gaara scowled a little and sighed, sitting next to Kiba who regarded him with a nod of his head. "Do those two always hang over Sakura?" He asked him, leaning up against the back of the couch.

"Yeah I have no idea how she stands it. They never leave her alone. I don't blame her for hitting Naruto all of the time. I know they are protective of her and I get that, but it's sometimes a bit over bearing. Especially in Lee's case. He is polite about it at least. Naruto's just a clueless friend at this point. I think he's gotten over his crush on her. She wouldn't ever say that she hates them though, she cares for them both deeply but not in the way that Lee cares for her." Kiba sighed. "The day that she gets in a real relationship is the day that Lee will finally have to face the cold hard truth." Gaara thought over what Kiba had just said.

"A real relationship?" He repeated, a bit confused. Kiba looked over at him and nodded.

"Oh yeah I guess you don't really know that. Well Sakura hasn't dated anyone for a long time. Not seriously at least. For the most part anyone interested was either scared off by Naruto or scared off by Sakura herself. She's been on dates with a few people but never anything serious or anything that lasted longer than a few weeks." Gaara nodded calmly but was a little surprised by this information.

 _"She doesn't seem the type to have never dated. But she is a kunoichi and it is understandably difficult. Temari had mentioned something about that once."_ Gaara watched her sitting there laughing with Tenten and Ino who had just come back into the room.

She was attractive, even Gaara agreed with that. She was also one of the strongest women he had ever met and certainly had the temper of Tsunade as well as her strength. In many ways she was very much like the Legendary Sannin. But in many ways she was very different. She was caring and kind and very determined, Gaara had seen this first hand from when she had healed his brother. She was intriguing in many ways and Gaara once again felt the feelings that confused him so greatly returning to settle in his chest.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Kiba barked, snapping Gaara out of his thoughts with a slight start.

"Yeah! Come on guys it'll be fun!" Naruto said smiling.

"Ok we're in!" Ino said smiling at Sakura who was shaking her head. "Oh no, you are playing this game, Forehead, no matter if you want to or not!" She held onto Sakura's arm firmly as she pushed Naruto away to sit next to her pink haired friend. Gaara sat down next to Naruto who was next to Lee next to Kiba and Tenten.

"I call going first! Alright…Ino!" Kiba grinned at her devilishly.

"Yes dog breath?" She smiled sweetly back at him, batting her eyelashes as he rolled his eyes.

"Truth or dare?" She screwed up her face a little and made it look like it was a hard decision.

"Truth." She said smiling.

"Ok then. Do you like Shikamaru?" Kiba said wiggling his eyebrows. Gaara scowled a little.

 _"Sakura said that Temari likes Shikamaru. She probably knows that but still…"_ he waited for her to answer.

"No I don't he's so boring and plain and lazy! Besides he's my friend and teammate and I'm sure he likes someone else." She scrunched up her nose while talking which made Gaara relax a little.

"Ok my turn to ask!" Ino clapped her hands together."Hmmm Lee truth or dare?"

Lee gave her his signature thumbs up smile before declaring, "Dare!" Ino rolled her eyes before continuing.

"I dare you to stand outside barefoot for a minute, no chakra circulation for warmth!" Kiba laughed and Naruto smirked.

"Ino! It's a total snowstorm out there!" Sakura voiced his disapproval.

"Nonsense! I accept this challenge!" Lee cried, jumping up and running to the door, flinging it open and walking out into the snow. The group sat still for a moment before quickly clamoring around the small windows on either side of the door to watch Lee shiver in the snow. All aside from Gaara who remained in the living room.

"Oh my gosh that is so funny!" Ino cackled, seeing Lee standing there proudly in the blizzard was indeed something to be seen.

"This is a priceless moment everyone, take it in while it lasts!" Tenten announced before continuing to laugh at Lee. They all burst out laughing hysterically as Lee attempted to show off and ended up falling into the snow and almost sliding down the stairs.

"We are never gonna let him live that one down." Naruto joked, laughing even harder.

"Shouldn't we let him in now?" Sakura chimed in.

"Sure, do it quickly before I die laughing!" Naruto snorted, doubling over from laughter at the snow covered Lee.

"All right Lee you can come in!" Tenten called, opening the door. Lee burst inside hopping from one foot to the other trying to rub his toes.

"I've lost all feeling in my foot but I have proved my worth!" He beamed, sitting down near the fire in an attempt to warm his toes. Sakura came over and helped his feet regain circulation with her chakra before tossing him a blanket. He sighed in relief as he sat shivering by the fire. "Thanks Sakura-san!" She nodded and sat back down. "Alright then it's my turn. Naruto! Truth or dare?" Lee asked hopping down onto his blanket.

"Dare of course!" He scoffed, rolling his eyes as if it was obvious.

"I dare you to stand on your head until someone else dares you again."

"Tsk! That's easy!" He quickly turned onto his head and crossed his arms.

"Alright then, Gaara truth or dare?" Gaara looked at him blankly.

"Truth." He shrugged as if the question was a mere suggestion.

"Do you ever see yourself getting married?" Gaara thought about this as Kiba attempted not to laugh at Naruto's ridiculous question _._

 _"Do I? I've never thought about it. I would have to find someone smart, funny, kind, a strong fighter, tactical and able to hold her own against men."_ He froze as realization hit him. _"Someone like Sakura."_ He thought, suddenly realized that everyone was waiting for an answer.

"I will most likely have to at some point due to my position. It would also be, nice, I suppose." He shrugged again as Naruto gave him a rather surprised look. Gaara found himself now struggling with the new idea that had formed in his head, the idea of him actually liking Sakura. He shook it off and continued to play the game. "I suppose it's my turn. Alright then, Kiba, truth or dare?" He looked at Kiba trying to avoid Sakura's eyes which had turned towards him the moment he had answered Naruto's question.

"Dare of course!" He said happily, smiling his toothy grin.

"I dare you to pretend to chase your "tail" for ten minutes." He stared at him as Kiba's face fell a little.

"Oh sure make fun of the dog kid." He rolled his eyes and started to run in circles on all fours. Ino laughed like crazy pointing at him while he scowled at her, twisting in circles.

"Aww the poor puppy's mad at me!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the gesture. Sakura giggled and looked around at Naruto, still on his head, Kiba, spinning in circles, Ino rolling on the floor in laughter, Lee snickering at both of them, Tenten laughing along with Ino, and finally Gaara, who was sitting near the couch arms crossed with a smug grin on his face.

 _"Wow he looks so confident like that."_ She thought. She smiled, hiding her brief moment of open-mouthed gawking, and quickly looked away as; once again, Gaara caught her staring.

End of chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More party games. These first chapters are sort of introductory filler but it moves it along. Ino continues to be a nuisance to Sakura.

_"There she goes again. Staring and then that strange habit of looking away. I wish Temari was here. Maybe she could explain it. It's starting to get on my nerves."_ Gaara was jolted out of his thoughts by Kiba's barking laughter as he had picked Ino who had done some kind of dare. Gaara shook his head a little as if he had been focusing on what was happening all along and hadn't been distractedly thinking about Sakura.

"Ok everyone it's my turn to ask! Forehead! Truth or dare?" Ino smiled at Sakura who simply sighed.

"Oy, Lee, two bowls or ramen from Ichiraku's says she chooses dare." Naruto whispered to Lee.

"Hmph you're on! Sakura-san never chooses dare!" Lee replied, shaking Naruto's hand as Sakura thought about her answer.

"Hmm…Oh what the heck dare!" She shrugged, surprising nearly everyone.

"Ha told you!" Naruto shouted to Lee, still upside down. Lee smiled and shrugged his shoulders as Sakura shot them both a look.

"Ok everyone listen up!" Ino declared, standing up on the couch as if it was a huge announcement. Sakura put her head in her hands and silently cursed herself for choosing dare.

 _"Ino's going to make me do some elaborate dare that will eventually end up in me kissing someone or doing something really stupid."_ She groaned and looked up as Ino continued on after Kiba finally stopped spinning and collapsed in a dizzy heap on the floor.

"I dare you to play a little game. I'm going to get a ribbon and a Christmas present tag. I am then going to write someone's name on the tag and tie it to the ribbon. I will then tie the ribbon around Forehead's waist. She can't look at the name on the tag and has to keep it hidden from us, aka, hide it under her shirt. Only I will know whose name is on the tag. If anyone, including you Forehead, sees the name for the rest of the party they have to tell me and she will be forced to kiss the person. She won't be able to cheat because either I or Tenten will be watching her for the rest of the night." Ino continued. "This is kind of like a dare for all of us because if one of us sees the name she loses the dare and has to kiss that person." Again Lee's eyes lit up at this idea. Sakura's face fell and she put her head in her lap.

"I'm doomed!" she muttered.

"Oh come on Sakura! It's not that bad!" Naruto chimed in smiling.

"I don't know if that really counts as a dare or not but it seems interesting!" Kiba grinned widely as Sakura shook her head.

"You live to torment me Ino!" Sakura declared as Ino merely rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright! Come on Forehead let's go tie that ribbon to you!" Ino said smiling dragging her out of the room despite her cries of protest.

"Hehehe I am gonna see that name before this party is over I promise I will!" Naruto said smiling.

"I just want to see what the name is. But it would be funny to see her kiss someone." Tenten said giggling.

 _"This is a strange game."_ Gaara thought. Kiba laughed.

"What if we all try to think of different ways to get her to look or see the name?" Kiba suggested, now very much enjoying the game.

"Well Ino said she had to keep it hidden under her shirt…" Naruto began. Tenten quickly cut him off.

"We are NOT having Sakura take off her shirt!" Naruto shook his head in protest.

"That's not what I meant…although that is a good idea…" He stopped as Tenten glared at him. "But I meant get her to do a handstand like I'm doing. Her shirt will fall down just enough that we can read the name on the tag." 

"That's a great idea! But what if it doesn't work? We need a fall back." Kiba pointed out. They all sat in silence until Lee chimed in.

"We could wait till she's asleep and then look." Lee suggested.

"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!" Kiba agreed. "I wouldn't mind if it was me, Sakura's cute."

"I wouldn't mind if it was me!" Naruto chimed in, happily grinning at the excitement of it all.

"I would make it a passionate kiss that she would never forget!" Lee said clenching his fist to his chest and standing up.

"Ew Lee…what if it's me!" Tenten squealed. "Ino wouldn't do that would she?"

"It would be funny if she did. What about you Gaara?" Kiba asked, looking at Gaara who, up until this point, had been silent at their reactions. He shrugged.

"I don't care. It's probably either Lee or Naruto because I really don't think she wants to be kissed by either of you. So it would be logical to think that Ino would want to embarrass her by making her kiss one of you." 

"Woah I never would have thought of that. That gives me even more of a reason to try to see that name!" Naruto cheered, almost falling over from his handstand. "Hey can someone please dare me to do something? My head's starting to go numb!"

"Ok fine I dare you to lick the floor." Tenten said plainly.

"Thanks I needed to get off of my head." Naruto said falling to the floor. "I feel so dizzy now." Naruto rubbed his head before quickly licking the floor and walking into the kitchen to rinse his mouth out. Just then Ino appeared with Sakura.

"Ok everyone! Let's open presents and then we can watch another movie!" Ino exclaimed, sitting back down. Everyone agreed and began to pull out scrolls containing presents and pass them around. Sakura grabbed the presents from Neji, Shino, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Choji and passed them around to the others.

"Oh um Ino can you tell me what this is?" Sakura said opening the present from Shino and holding it up for her to see.

"Hmm it looks like a necklace with a scarab beetle on it. Oh look I got one too." Ino said holding up hers. Tenten opened her present and held up the same necklace as well.

"Remind me to thank him, it's kind of pretty in a weird buggy way." Tenten commented, before setting it down. Sakura agreed and set hers down as well.

"Oh boy! Choji got me a coupon for Ichiraku's!" He smiled and held up the coupon.

"He gave me one too!" Lee said showing Naruto his coupon as well.

"Wow leave it to Neji to get me a cook book!" Sakura said scowling. Naruto started to make a comment but was stopped by Kiba holding his mouth shut and shaking his head before he could say something stupid.

"Tsk. At least it's better than what he got me. Seriously a flower arrangement book? I work in a flower shop! I think I know how to arrange flowers!" She put the book next to her and opened a present from Sakura. "Oh wow Forehead! You did good this year!" She smiled and held up a pair of purple flower earrings.

"No problem Ino-pig I thought you might like them." She smiled and opened the present from Ino. "Thanks for the kunai holder! I needed a new one my old one's strap just broke!" She smiled at Ino and held up the gift.

Kiba laughed, and then smiled at Naruto and thanked him for the special dog whistle that he gave him. "I need this for the little kids at the compound they never listen to me when I call them." He smiled at Naruto who gave him the thumbs up.

"Thanks Sakura-san!" Lee said holding up a set of new leg warmers.

"I thought you needed a new pair, those have pockets on the inside for your weights." She said pointing to the inside.

"Wow Sakura-chan! You didn't need to get me this!" Naruto said holding up a new jacket and kunai pack.

"It's no problem guys really, after all, it is Christmas!" She smiled.

Gaara looked at the present in front of him, noticing a box wrapped in red paper with a card on the top, his name scrawled on it in wispy flowing cursive.

_"That one's from Sakura. I'll open it later after everyone's asleep. I'd rather not see it just yet."_

The others all giggled and laughed as they opened their presents throwing wrapping paper at one another and being all around cheerful. Gaara liked this feeling of cheer and happiness. _"I had such a horrible life before I met them. I feel as though I'm finally catching up on everything I've missed in my childhood. The laughter and cheer, Christmas as a whole really."_ He struck up a conversation with Naruto. Naruto, in turn, was happy to see Gaara interacting so well.

 _"I'm glad he's finally decided to be more social and less of an introvert. I know it's got to be hard but he's doing really well."_ He smiled and talked to Gaara while Sakura put in a movie.

"I'll make some more popcorn and grab some more snacks. It's about eleven so we can just hang out for a while and hope the power doesn't go out." She looked up warily at the lights as she walked out of the room.

_"I really hope the power doesn't go out. That would suck. Being in the dark next to Lee would not be fun. Not to mention that I can't look at this stupid tag on my waist! No doubt they would use that as an opportunity to grab it off of my waist and look at the name."_

**_"But what if the name was someone like Gaara?"_** Inner chimed in.

" _So what it would be the same as it being Kiba. Why does it being Gaara make a difference. I just hope it's not Naruto or Lee."_

Inner snorted. **_"It makes all of the difference if it's Gaara! He kissed you on the cheek and you can't hide the fact that you like him. Maybe not a lot…yet…but you do like him a little and in this world, you have to act fast or risk never getting your chance."_**

 _"Of course it wouldn't be a problem! I like him the same way I like Kiba, Naruto, and Lee, as friends. Besides I really doubt it's him. Ino would love to humiliate me and making me kiss Gaara would not be the way to do it."_ She rolled her eyes and put the popcorn in the microwave.

 ** _"You are wrong, you like Gaara more than you like the other guys. He intrigues you and there is something there! So what are you gonna do if it is Gaara? Personally I'm gonna enjoy it."_** Inner said devilishly.

Sakura snorted at her. _"It's not Gaara. You are just lustful and perverted and I'm not going to listen to your nonsense."_

 ** _"Oh harsh."_** Inner pouted as Sakura shut her out again. Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed a carrot stick, absentmindedly gnawing on it as she waited for the popcorn to pop.

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Party continues. More filler, blah blah read on!

"Here guys popcorn's done!" Sakura smiled setting down the bowls of popcorn which Kiba and Lee promptly dug into. Sakura sat down holding onto the carrot sticks, munching happily. Naruto spotted the carrots and scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"Sakura-chan how can you eat those?" He gagged slightly as Sakura held one close to his face.

"Oh come on Naruto it's a carrot stick. It isn't going to bite you. They are good you know, maybe if you tried one you might end up liking it." Naruto made another gagging noise as Sakura rolled her eyes. "You big baby. One of these days you are going to get sick from lack of vitamins and when you come crawling to me begging for help and I am going to force you to eat only vegetables until you get better." Naruto's eyes grew wide and he gaped at Sakura as the others snickered.

"You wouldn't really do that, would you Saakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. "I would and I will if you don't start eating some vegetables soon. Now quit sniffling, I'm not going to force you to eat any now but believe me, I will if you don't start by yourself." Naruto gave her a look of utter horror as the others in the group laughed at the shocked blonde. Gaara merely smirked and watched Sakura with a sense of pride.

He continued to smirk as Sakura cracked a smile and sat back, turning on the movie as she snuggled under a blanket. Naruto still cowered, but Lee began cautiously moving closer to Sakura from his place on the other end of the couch. Gaara frowned a little and moved to sit next to her, leaning against the couch as well.

"Thanks Gaara." She whispered, barely audible as she noticed Lee moving back to his spot.

"I could tell you were done with him clinging onto you." He whispered back to her, his eyes never leaving the screen. Sakura looked up at him and saw how serious his expression was. His eyes seemed so hard and cold that she wondered if she had done something to upset him. The black on his eyes really did make the turquoise color stand out in the low light.

Sakura's face screwed up a little. Being a medic she didn't like it when people were hurt, and she could tell just by Gaara's eyes that he had been hurt his entire life. She knew he had had a hard life and, unlike Naruto, had no one there to help him through it and accept him for who he was. This bothered Sakura more than anything. With a surge of protectiveness she knew she wanted to make that pain and hurt go away. It was in her nature to want to help the people she cared about. Whether or not this went beyond that feeling and into something else was something she wasn't quite prepared to face yet. She yawned a little, catching Gaara's eye for a fraction of a second before she turned back to the movie, not really watching it but keeping her eyes on it simply for the sake of not looking at his eyes anymore.

"Hey Sakura could you do a handstand?" Lee asked after about fifteen minutes of movie-filled noise.

"Yes of course I can Lee. You've seen me do one before so why do you ask?" Sakura raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Ino rolled her eyes slightly but decided to play along. "Of course she can do a handstand! She'll do one right now to prove it!" Ino stated plainly, giving Lee a pointed look.

"See Lee look I can do a handstand." She flipped over onto one hand, using the other hand to firmly hold her shirt down. Lee pouted as Sakura laughed.

"Ah of course you saw right through that one Sakura-san!" Lee smiled broadly.

"It was ridiculously obvious Lee. Especially since you've seen me do a handstand a thousand times before. Besides that obvious fact, you know we are both shinobi and have to know how to do handstands as a basic dodging maneuver." She shrugged as she sat back down. Lee opened his mouth a little and then shut it again, not being able to protest against this. "Look if you guys really want to see the name on the tag then I'll make a deal with you. If the power goes out before tomorrow morning and stays out for ten minutes I'll look at the tag. If not, well then tough luck." She shrugged and settled back against the couch. Lee and Naruto looked hopeful and Kiba smiled.

"That's a good bet considering that the snow tends to knock out power lines a lot." He smiled and took some popcorn, munching on it in a casual manner. Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Me losing is pretty likely, I know, but I'm not going to put up with your weak ideas for trying to look at the tag." She rolled her eyes at Kiba and looked back at the screen.

 _"She never lets people make fun of her for very long. She either shoots their stupid ideas down or punches their lights out. Definitely a strong Kunoichi."_ He nearly moved closer to her but quickly reigned in his feelings and focused on the movie. The storyline was a little weak and the scenes were pretty predictable. Gaara soon found himself frowning and drifting into thought. _"What possessed me to come here in the first place? Was it a feeling? I barely remember leaving Suna all I remember is suddenly wanting to be in Konoha."_ He frowned as he delved into the fuzzy part of his memories.

Suna: The day before Gaara left for Konoha

"Gaara we're leaving for the Fire Country are you coming?" Temari called her question up to her redheaded brother who was sitting in his usual spot on the roof.

"No you are cleared to leave but I think I will stay here." He called back, waving to his siblings absentmindedly as he continued to gaze out at the city.

"Ok well I'll be sure to tell Naruto you say Merry Christmas!" Temari and Kankuro waved to Gaara and then left. Gaara still sat on the roof looking over his city.

 _"It's nearly Christmas? I haven't bothered to pay attention to the days. Not that it matters, I don't really get involved with that holiday anyways."_ He mulled this over in his head for a moment, watching his siblings hop over the roofs to the gate of Suna. _"I am glad Temari mentioned it. Though I do not celebrate this holiday doesn't mean that I am exempt from sending gifts to my friends in Konoha."_ He stood up and glided off the roof on his sand.

His feet touched the ground and he began to walk down the road into the market district. He wasn't really looking for anything until something caught his eye. He stopped and went into the shop asking the shop owner about the item and eventually paying for it.

 _"Sakura will like that, it will suit her."_ He thought as he left, immediately wondering where that idea came from. _"Why did I just think about her?"_ He thought, scowling a little.

 ** _"Oh boy my influential hormones are finally kicking in."_** Shukaku growled from inside Gaara.

 _"You've been quiet lately."_ Gaara thought back to him, annoyed that the demon still resided in part of him. He knew the extraction didn't take every piece out of him but he wasn't aware the consciousness still remained until a week after the extraction. Now he barely heard from the bloodthirsty tanuki. Oddly enough, the version of Shukaku left in him was different from before. More like an annoying conscience than anything. Naruto had told him it was like the Kyuubi sometimes. Able to be controlled and less aggressive and violent when truly blended.

 ** _"Thanks to you dying I can only talk to you when you need my advice or when you seek me out."_** He replied.

 _"I didn't seek you out and I do not need your advice. Though I would like to know what hormones you are speaking of."_ Gaara left the shopping district and flew back up to the roof on his sand, frowning all the while.

**_"When we tried to kill that girl during the Chunnin Exams she was weak. But I saw potential in her she is a friend to the fox boy and has great power in her. Her chakra, while not as strong as yours, is great. She would make a strong mate."_ **

_"Mate? What are you talking about Shukaku?"_ Gaara growled to him angrily.

 ** _"My hormones will eventually cause you to want to find a girl to be with. When you find her you will mark her and she will become yours. You do this by infusing some of our chakra into her blood. This forms a bond that links you to her. This doesn't mean that she will feel more attracted to you in any way. It simply means that you have marked her as your mate. You can sense when she is in danger and in this way, keep her safe."_** Shukaku explained to him, his growling voice grating on Gaara's last nerve.

 _"So what does Sakura have to do with this?"_ Gaara growled, becoming impatient and increasingly angrier by the minute.

 ** _"Like I said before, she is powerful. I am causing you to look at her in a different light. You will start to criticize her as a potential mate. I can't decide for you and in the end it will be your decision as to who you want to be your mate thanks to those Akatsuki assholes. I can only supply the hormones left by my former presence and pick out those who will be strong and powerful for you to view as a mate. I chose her as a strong choice. I suggest we visit Konoha soon. My hormones are very powerful and I won't hesitate to force you to view her as an option."_** Shukaku growled this last bit of information out to Gaara and then faded away again.

Gaara thought over this. _"Sakura? My mate? As in me marrying he?"_ He shook his head and tried to dismiss the thought but her face kept appearing in his mind. _"Damn Shukaku won't let her leave my head until I see her."_ Gaara sighed angrily and jumped off the roof to go alert the council that he would be leaving for Konoha soon. " _I'd better leave tonight or else they will send escorts."_ He set off down the hall to go discuss this with them.

Gaara snapped back to reality looking around Sakura's living room, his eyes coming to rest on her. He remembered now fully why he had come to Konoha, as loathe as he was to admit it. _"I'm here for a while. I will try to warm her up to the idea by then. I won't make an official proposal yet, I need to get to know her more and scout out her flaws and abilities to consider her."_ He thought he heard Shukaku growl his approval but he couldn't be sure. He decided to lean back and watch the movie again or risk her catching him staring. The lights began to flicker and Sakura sucked in her breath in expectation as they flickered four times and then went out.

"Oh yes!" Naruto cheered.

"Not so fast!" Sakura declared while standing up. "I said they had to be out for ten minutes." She scowled in the dark and walked into the kitchen to get some candles, hearing Lee and Naruto's excited laughter. Gaara watched her go.

"Sakura-chan has to look at her tag sooner or later!" Naruto said smiling. "Hey Ino can you just tell us now? I don't want to wait."

"No I'm not gonna tell you yet!" She smirked and crossed her arms.

"I hope it is me!" Lee smiled triumphantly as Naruto scowled.

"I bet you it's me." He teased causing Lee to grin.

"Well then my youthful rival! Let the best man win!" Naruto rolled his eyes at Lee's antics but changed back to a grin as Sakura walked back into the room.

"Hey Sakura-chan, why don't you just save us the wait and look now?" He grinned and slid next to her on the couch. Her eye twitched but she held back from launching him across the room.

"It hasn't been ten minutes yet I still have eight minutes left." She sank back into the couch as Ino smiled.

"I never said she wouldn't have to kiss more than one person." She grinned evilly looking at Naruto and Lee who were currently trying to see who could catch the most pieces of popcorn in their mouths. Sakura groaned and sank back into the sofa.

"Ino-pig why do you like to torment me?" She shook her head and looked at her friend, scowling a little. Ino laughed and shrugged.

"I guess I'm just used to it Forehead." She smiled at her sweetly through the dark as the moments passed by. Sakura could tell everyone in the room was anxious to see the name. She sighed and ran her hand through her pink hair.

"How many more minutes do we have left?" Naruto whined, breaking the silence.

"About two." Kiba reported, happily grinning at Naruto. Naruto smiled and laughed.

"Oh I can't wait!" He grinned at Ino, trying to get her to give something away.

"I told you, I'm not telling you!" She scowled at him and then looked at Sakura. "Ok Forehead time's up." She grinned evilly as Sakura groaned and shook her head.

"Why did I ever get involved in this." She mumbled as she very tentatively reached her hand under her shirt and untied the ribbon. She pulled it out slowly and glanced at the name groaning and hiding her face in her hands along with the ribbon and the name on it.

"Come on Sakura-chan show us!" Naruto called, everyone's eyes sparkling with anticipation and anxiety. Sakura shook her head again and mumbled something inaudible to anyone. Gaara had thoughts running through his head furiously.

 _"What if it's me? I'm going to play this by ear if it is me I have to act indifferent. Perhaps this could help me though.."_ Gaara hardened his expression and shifted to look at Sakura like everyone else.

She raised her hand up holding the ribbon out in front of her, causing both Naruto and Lee to lunge for it. Naruto grabbed it and brought it down to his level about to read it when Kiba snatched it away. He glanced at it and howled with laughter, letting it fall to the ground, open, so everyone could see.

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The revelation of Ino's plot. Filler to end soon.

Sakura was beet red, still hiding her face in her hands as Naruto and Lee practically scrambled across each other to get to the tag now lying on the floor.

"What's the tag say?!" Naruto shouted trying to push Lee away as Tenten snatched the tag from out of Naruto's reach.

"It says…." Tenten began, flipping the tag over to read it. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at Naruto, before quickly turning her head to Gaara, making him freeze before the words even came out of her mouth. "Gaara."

Naruto and Lee's mouth fell open and they both floundered for words. Gaara himself dutifully attempted to remain straight faced and calm, not showing any signs of reaction at the name Tenten had spoken.

"But I thought….Ino!" Naruto and Lee nodded to each other before the two of them turned and looked at Ino. Naruto growled lightly, giving Ino a split second of warning before they both turned on her in a flurry of orange and green, tackling her and tickling her until she cried out. Tenten tried to stop them but was pulled back by a laughing Kiba who merely chuckled.

"Let it go Tenten or they'll turn on you too." She smiled and sat down laughing at her blonde friend's misfortune.

"Come on guys! It's just one kiss half of us have already kissed each other! Stop!" She tried to get away but was pulled back by Lee who held her down while Naruto continued his tickle attack.

Gaara wasn't focused on the laughing shinobi before him, neither was Sakura, they were both too busy trying to get over the shock. Sakura let out a small sigh as Gaara turned his full attention to her.

She blinked and gazed up into his eyes, seemingly stunned by what she saw.

Gaara knew his eyes must have betrayed at least one of his emotions. Her own eyes were certainly betraying her. They showed a mixture of realization, uncertainty, and something Gaara couldn't quite place. After a long moment Sakura broke eye contact with him, her face still the same shade as Gaara's hair.

She smiled apologetically to him before quickly turning her head at the sound of Ino's shrieks of protest. Naruto and Lee were still shouting at her and Kiba was, as usual, laughing hysterically. "What the hell are you guys doing to Ino-pig?" Naruto and Lee looked at her for a moment, giving Ino the split moment she needed to escape before Naruto or Lee could turn their attention back to her.

"She wrote Gaara's name on the tag instead of one of ours. She knew Gaara was the only one that was nonchalant about the whole thing." Naruto sighed, turning to Lee who looked a bit downcast.

"Hence the reason I wrote _his_ name and not _yours_." Ino rolled her eyes and turned to Sakura impatiently. "Now that that has been settled, said person needs to be kissed by a certain pink haired kunoichi." Ino gave Sakura a pointed look as Sakura's face turned a shade darker than it already was.

Gaara gave her a slight shrug as she looked up at him and felt her head begin to reel with a million and one thoughts.

 ** _"KISS HIM KISS HIM KISS HIM! Come on he obviously likes you, is definitely interested in you at the very least, anyone could tell that. He has been staring at you all night! He came to Konoha just for you and he has been more than helpful. Especially with the mistletoe. Come on Sakura that has to be enough proof. This may be your only chance so take it!"_** Sakura listened to Inner and thought over what she said, tuning everyone else out and staring rather blankly at nothing.

_"Inner I'm not going to really listen to what you just said but regardless it is just a kiss. I'll play their silly game but I don't want to have to hear you unless I specifically call for you. Understood?"_

**_"Yes."_ **

Sakura turned her head to look up at Gaara once more and he sat down next to her their heads moved towards each other very slowly, Sakura's heart beating so hard against her chest she swore it would burst out.

Gaara quickly moved his head forwards, pushing his lips to hers for a moment, closing his eyes and calming himself as he heard Kiba wolf-whistle behind him. Gaara broke the kiss first, looking into her eyes before shrugging and settling back into the couch like it was no big deal.

Sakura, however, was a little slower to react. She sank back into the couch with a pointed look shot towards the giggling Ino.

"You should have seen your face!" Ino giggled as Sakura stuck her tongue out at her and turned a little red. She couldn't help the fluttering in her chest and knew that sitting in Gaara's general proximity was not helping the matter. Sure she'd kissed plenty of guys, but this was the Kazekage, it was different.

Gaara watched as she stood up and sat on her sleeping bag, making a point to not glance in his direction as she did so. Naruto, who had watched the exchange with a small smile, bumped her shoulder lightly before letting out a large yawn.

"Looks like someone's a little tired." Sakura commented, smiling as Naruto gave her a lazy look.

"Well it is pretty late Sakura-chan and we all rushed back to Konoha to avoid the storm." He replied as Tenten laughed.

Kiba yawned and stretched his legs in front of him languidly. "The excitement of it all just wore us out." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Sakura who responded with a pillow chucked at his face.

Ino yawned and looked over at Sakura with a sleepy grin. "Wow Forehead, you're such a boring kisser you put all of us to sleep." She smirked and flashed her tongue at Sakura who responded similarly to her.

Tenten merely shook her head, laying down on the mat laid down on the floor before pulling a blanket up and over her shoulder. "Well I for one am going to sleep. Merry Christmas guys." Tenten yawned as the others nodded sleepily.

"Merry Christmas." Kiba mumbled, stretching out across the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Merry Christmas you dorks." Ino replied from her place on one of the couches.

Naruto and Lee had taken their places on either side of Sakura, a little close for her liking, and responded with a chorus of "Merry Christmas!"That was a bit too loud. Sakura rolled her eyes and whispered a "Merry Christmas." Back to them before snuggling into her sleeping bag and closing her eyes.

Gaara watched lazily from his own sleeping bag placed in front of the other couch. His eyes rested for a moment on the beautiful face of the drowsy kunoichi sleeping across from him. With a silent admiration he let his eyes trace her beautiful porcelain-like face following every little detail and curve with hungry eyes. Her cute sloping nose, her soft pink lips that only minutes ago touched his own, her long curved lashes closed gently on her face. He stared for a long time, taking in every detail and stored it in his mind.

With a sudden surge of emotion he realized that he wanted to hold her small sleeping form against his chest, to feel her quiet breathing and to rest his cheek on her soft pink tresses that lay strewn about on her pillow, a few strands cradling her face. He wanted her to be his more than anything before. He felt something for her and he knew it was more than just Shukaku's hormones. He knew he had felt something of an interest in her for her for a long time but hadn't realized it until now. She was part of the light that had saved him from a life of darkness and fear. Naruto, Chiyo, and his siblings were the other part.

He could clearly see her body lying in a heap from when he attacked and almost killed her after the Chunin Exams. Anger welled up inside of him, anger at himself for ever hurting her and anger at the demon he had once held and whose influence still resided in his brain. _"I need to make her mine. I want to be able to keep that beauty to myself and to hold her every night in my arms, to keep her safe and protected so she doesn't ever get damaged again."_ He closed his eyes and held her image in his head, ready to mediate until he fell asleep. _"Sakura."_

End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is about where the filler Christmas party ends. Plot thickens.

"Ughhhhhh… Mom you know I hate that soap…" Kiba rolled over and clawed at the air snorting and snuffling in his sleep.

Ino chucked a pillow at him and then went back to sleep rolling over and muttering "Stupid mutt."

Sakura had been sleeping calmly, or relatively so, for the past hour. Being a rather light sleeper, she opened her eyes a little at Ino's voice, immediately noticing that Lee was now _very_ close to her. So close that she had to stop herself from reflexively punching him into the next nation.

Instead, she shot up in her sleeping bag, jumping a little at the invasion of privacy. She heard a noise to her left and glanced over to see Naruto. Who snorted in his sleep and moved closer to her as well. Knowing she would soon end up in the middle of a Lee-Naruto sandwich, she decided the best option would be to move before the two got a hold of her.

With a quick glance around the room, she sighed and stood up in her sleeping bag, quietly shuffling over to lie next to Tenten instead. She was quietly sleeping and Sakura assumed it was a safe place to sleep as well. Sakura glanced at the sleeping kunoichi and was about to lie down before Tenten's arm shot out and smacked the floor next to her with a muffled thump. Tenten shifted slightly in her sleep and growled before reverting to her peaceful appearance.

Sakura's jade eyes grew wide and she moved away from Tenten, quickly ditching that idea. _"No use sleeping next to her unless you want to be crushed in your sleep."_ With a sigh she looked around and saw Ino on the couch. Ino would have been a good bet, had the couch been larger. With a shake of her head Sakura looked to where Kiba lay on the floor, still scratching and kicking in his sleep. With a frown she decided there was no way was she going to get clawed apart in her sleep.

She sighed tiredly, her eyes moving to the last open place in the room. With a silent curse at her fate she realized that the open space was right next to where Gaara lay sleeping.

 _"Seriously? Why does this always happen to me?"_ With a decisive yawn she shuffled quietly over to the spot next to him, scooting far enough away that it looked like she wasn't trying to sleep next to him. She heard a slight sigh to the right of her causing her to shoot a fearful glance at his form facing, luckily, away from her. Deciding that he was indeed still asleep, she snuggled back into her warm sleeping bag, quickly falling asleep again.

Gaara lay quietly for a moment longer listening for the sound of heavy breathing before rolling over to quietly face Sakura. With a contented smile he watched her sleep, her hair falling in her face in smooth pink tresses. He sighed.

 _"I need to take it easy. I have to try to make her fall for me like Temari always talks about or this will never work. I have to take the small steps before I take the final leap."_ With a glance at Sakura, he found himself wishing that he could act like Naruto and be a little reckless. He wanted to be able to put his arm around her shoulder like he did and let her lean on him for support. He wanted to hold her soft cream hands in his own and run his fingers through her pink hair. But most of all he wanted her to be with him. He wanted her to be his and his alone. He closed his eyes and imagined her eyes that had been so captivating even when he first met her. He remembered their first meeting quite well.

Konoha: Near the Chunin Exams

He had been rather shocked when he first saw her from his perch in the trees. Her bright pink hair and green eyes were so vibrant and happy. He never knew anyone could be as happy as she looked. The happiness disgusted him. She was giggling with a blonde boy that was overly obnoxious and cheerful. This irritated Gaara. He hated it when people were so obnoxious and cheerful was something that had never been part of his vocabulary.

 ** _"You should kill him if he's being annoying."_** Shukaku growled. Gaara hissed and watched as a raven haired boy appeared. The girl greeted him cheerfully while the other seemed to become a little less obnoxious and suddenly a little annoyed at his arrival. Gaara watched the girl's reaction. She seemed overjoyed and even happier than she had before. Gaara turned his head to the side, now sufficiently annoyed and disgusted. He moved slightly in the tree. That's when the raven haired boy noticed him.

Konoha: In the forest after the Chunin Exams

He saw her again. Through his rage, Gaara saw the pink hair of the girl named Sakura behind him.

 ** _"She's following us let me get rid of her."_** Shukaku growled.

Gaara scowled and stopped running, turning to face the annoying blonde kid, Naruto, the raven haired brat, Sasuke, and the pink haired girl, Sakura. He felt his rage growing and knew that he couldn't contain Shukaku, not that he wanted to as these brats were certainly bothering him. He wanted to kill them. He wanted to see them die in front of him. Crush their guts and squeeze the life out of all of their pathetic little bodies. His rage peaked and Shukaku began to take over. He only saw a glimpse of pink hair and green eyes before fading to black.

A loud shout jarred Gaara out of his sleep and immediately he jumped up, ready to defend the room. A quick glance around the room, however, showed Lee and Naruto staring in wide-eyed horror at each other.

"You had your arms around me!" Naruto gasped out.

"You were the one who was holding me Naruto!" Lee countered, pointing at him with a shocked expression.

"I thought Sakura-chan was between us!" He yelled back, sufficiently waking up everyone who had been on guard the moment they heard the noise up until they realized who it was.

Kiba stretched and looked at them lazily. "Come on you guys it's only seven A.M. give it a rest." He stretched again and stood up shaking his head at them. "I swear you are worse than the pups at the compound."

Gaara shook his head and glanced down at Sakura who had woken up and stretched happily with a loud sigh.

"Come on guys lighten up. I'll go fix some breakfast for us ok? It's Christmas after all." She stood up and stretched once more before walking into the kitchen. By now Naruto and Lee were sitting on opposite sides of the couch and Tenten and Ino had returned from Sakura's room in their day clothes. They went into the kitchen to help Sakura so she could change into her own clothes.

She thanked them and walked down the hall into her bedroom pulling on a red long sleeved shirt with her family mark on it before sliding on a pair of long black pants. She walked into her bathroom and combed her hair; glad it wasn't tangled, and walked into the kitchen to help cook the breakfast.

"Wow guys come look at all this snow!" Naruto exclaimed, looking out the window at the immense amount of snow piled up outside. Kiba looked outside and grinned.

"I love the snow this is going to be so much fun!" He grabbed his jacket and boots and was halfway out the door when Sakura sang, "Breakfasttt!" He froze in his tracks and shut the door pulling off his boots and jacket before zipping into the kitchen ahead of everyone else.

Gaara followed him into the kitchen with Lee and Naruto who still wouldn't go near each other. Wonderful smells wafted out of the kitchen and surrounded the boys. Sakura, Tenten, and Ino were cooking omelets, pancakes, sweet rice and waffles. Kiba's mouth watered and Sakura giggled.

"Come on guys dig in!" She said cheerfully as Naruto, Lee and Kiba snatched a plate and piled it high with food. Sakura followed in their wake picking a waffle and an omelet before moving to sit in the living room. Gaara got some food himself and walked into the living room sitting on the couch next to Sakura. She blushed a little and focused on her food. It got extremely quiet in the room aside from the scarfing noises coming from Lee, Naruto and Kiba. Ino wrinkled her nose and scowled.

"Do you have to be so loud?" She threw them a disgusted look as they looked up their mouths stuffed with food. They smiled and Ino gagged and turned away, getting up to go into the kitchen. "Boys are so disgusting." She shuddered as she walked out of the room.

Sakura chuckled and Tenten got up next, following Ino and going to eat in the kitchen. The three boys finished their food and dumped their plates in the sink before walking back to the living room and plopping lazily on the floor switching on the TV to the news to see what the rest of Konoha looked like.

A reporter stood under a market stall downtown, the snow piled up around him as he explained that they had gotten a record amount of snow overnight and that the second wave would come after some of the snow melted.

Naruto shouted in joy and raced Kiba and Lee to the door where they grabbed their boot and jackets before jumping outside into the drifts. Sakura and Gaara put their dishes in the sink and grabbed their coats as well, Sakura pulling on a pink striped pom-pom hat and gloves as well as her scarf and jacket.

They walked outside and smiled before Sakura got hit by a snowball thrown by Naruto. She growled and quickly chucked one back at him effectively starting a snowball fight.

The boys made their fort tall and deep, hiding within and stockpiling snowballs as Sakura, now joined by Ino and Tenten, made their fort and began chucking snowballs with deadly ninja accuracy like they had been taught to do for nearly all of their lives. They laughed and continued to fight, each person incorporating sparring techniques in their throws. This wasn't just a snowball fight, it was a training session.

Naruto had his eyes narrowed and the laughter soon ceased, everyone becoming serious in their fighting. Sakura used chakra to move the snow faster towards her target and Lee began to use his speed to make more snowballs in a shorter amount of time.

They each were getting so serious they didn't notice the crowd gathering around them watching them engage in a snowball war that was quickly turning dangerous. Naruto made shadow clones that kept a constant bombardment on the girls. They dodged them constantly while throwing their own snowballs. Kiba was growling in his throat while trying to aim directly at Tenten. Ino was pelting Lee who was dodging most but not all.

Sakura aimed for Naruto who returned with force but still not managing to hit Sakura who expertly dodged every snowball. The crowd cheered for them excited to be watching this battle between the two groups.

Gaara had stopped and was now becoming increasingly concerned about the fight. Sakura was actually fighting now, her jade eyes narrowed and focused. She was using the snowballs as her weapons just as she would kunai or shuriken.

Gaara's eyes darted with her movements, watching intently and looking furiously for any points where the snowballs connected with her body. He was surprised for a moment when he realized he couldn't see any points of contact, she was dodging every single snowball. Gaara turned his head as he heard a slight hiss and saw a small line of blood form on Lee's face. Kiba had some scratches as well as Tenten, Ino, and Naruto. The snowballs were flying so fast they were slicing their skin.

 _"This is getting serious those people could get hurt by a stray snowball."_ He looked at his friends all competing in a serious training session, realizing that it was quickly getting out of hand for the streets. He moved to stop them, one hand already outstretched, when he noticed Sakura loose her balance for a fraction of a second, immediately getting pelted by a snowball. He watched as the snow scraped across her face leaving behind a thin line of blood. She stopped and looked on with shock, breaking her concentration and causing everyone else to stop and blink.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked around at the others a bit dazed. Only a minute ago he felt as though he was in a sparring session. All of that constant training was getting to him. He looked around at the others noticing that they all had scratches on their faces and that Sakura was bleeding. "Sakura-chan you're hurt." He murmured, still slightly stunned. She quickly healed it and began to heal the others as well, breaking everyone out of their stupor.

"Woah we got way to serious." Kiba said shaking his head.

"Yeah that was weird. It was so surreal." Ino said nodding.

"How long were we fighting for?" Tenten questioned, looking at Sakura who glanced at her watch.

"About… about an hour it's 11:00." She looked up at Tenten who nodded, a little stunned.

"That was so weird." Ino murmured, they all looked at her before nodding in agreement.

Gaara looked at Sakura and was grateful that she didn't get hurt. _"That could have gotten ugly very quickly."_ He thought, watching as Kiba stretched.

"Hey guys, I have to head out now. Thanks for having me over Sakura but I have to get back to the compound my Ma needs help with the little pups, not to mention she is most likely livid I didn't head home last night." Kiba rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as Sakura nodded.

"Alright, thanks for stopping by Kiba. It was great to be able to spend Christmas with you." They all followed Kiba inside the house, watching as he grabbed his stuff and called "Goodbye" to everyone, thanking Sakura as he walked out the door.

Tenten sighed and stated that she also needed to get going and get the heating in her apartment started. She hugged Sakura before calling her goodbyes.

Ino and Lee soon followed, smiling and hugging Sakura saying that they had to get home as well.

Naruto didn't seem to be leaving any time soon so Sakura ended up booting him out the door with a cheery, "Bye Naruto! Make sure to say hi to Tsunade-sama when you report in to her!" and a smile. She sighed and collapsed on the couch forgetting that Gaara still stood watching her from the kitchen.

End of Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot begins! From here on out there are only a few filler things and most of them are bonding moments.

Sakura sighed and rested her head quietly on the sofa, unaware of Gaara who was now standing next to the couch. Gaara watched for a quiet moment before walking across the carpet and sitting down gently on the couch. Sakura's eyes flew open and she jumped a little as Gaara merely blinked at her slowly.

"Oh Gaara, I'm sorry I almost forgot you were here." She blushed and looked down.

"It's fine Sakura. The party was rather tiring. I was getting this present; I forgot to open it last night." He looked down at the small box wrapped in red paper for a moment, gauging her reaction as he did so.

Sakura recognized the box and began to blush once again. It was her present for him. Immediately, Sakura wondered why he hadn't opened it before but assumed he had done so out of courtesy to her. Most likely he wanted to thank her without the stares of others.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here." He murmured before gesturing to his current spot near her. She shook her head.

"I don't mind at all." She smiled a little, but quickly averted her gaze. Gaara suppressed the urge to frown at her sudden action.

 _"She keeps doing that! I'm seriously going to go mad if she doesn't stop."_ He looked back at the box and carefully untied the ribbon before opening the box. Inside was stuffed with paper, which he took out, revealing the snow globe with the small model of Konoha inside. He lifted it carefully out of the box and shook it, watching as the fake snow drifted down on the miniature city with amusement. "Thank you Sakura, it will remind me of my visit here when I go back to Suna."

She smiled and nodded. "I thought you might like a bit of Konoha to bring back with you." He smiled gently at her and nodded.

"It was very thoughtful of you." Sakura looked at him with a surprised expression for a moment before blushing slightly once more.

Gaara turned back to place the snow globe back into the box and was about to put the lid on when he noticed another small box nestled in the wrappings. He looked at Sakura with a quizzical expression and picked it up as a look of nervousness crossed the Kunoichi's face.

"Another gift?" Sakura watched intently as he opened it.

When he opened the small box he found himself slightly in awe of what lay inside. Sakura had gotten him a beautiful charm, a single leather string with a small wooden carving hanging from it. On the carving was a small Sakura tree, barely noticeable on first glance, but upon further inspection you could see every individual flower on the tree. Under the tree small pink flowers lay scattered. It was amazing. Whoever crafted it had carefully carved every flower so that the final product looked real. He looked up at Sakura who had been watching him examine the carving. "Where did you find this?"

"I got it at a small store down the road from here." She felt her face heat up slightly and looked at the carving. "I thought it would remind you of Konoha since we have so many cherry blossom trees here in the spring." She smiled as he lightly ran a finger across the carving.

"It will help me to carry a piece of Konoha with me always." He refrained from saying what he really wanted to, that it would remind him of her. He didn't want her to leave because she was embarrassed and knew that saying such a thing was a very good way to cause her to do exactly that. He smiled at her again and put the charm in his pocket, rubbing the carving once more before looking up at her. "I know that the cherry blossom trees won't have any flowers yet, but do you think we could go see them sometime?" He asked her, as he quietly reached behind his back to get his present for her. She smiled and nodded.

"They might not have any flowers yet but the snow makes them just as pretty." She looked at Gaara who smiled and held out a long box wrapped in simple pink paper. She gasped a little as he handed it to her.

"It's nothing big but I think you'll like it."

"Oh I wasn't expecting anything so large, you didn't have to get me anything really, thank you." She smiled at him and began to open it, her fingers as gentle with the paper as if it was a patient she was working on. He watched carefully for her reaction when she saw the gift. As he expected, she gasped when she opened the box.

"Oh it's gorgeous!" She whispered, picking up the first of the two items in the box.

It was a knife set, delicately crafted for quick maneuvers and skillfully polished with sand. They had an inscription on the hilt that Gaara had carved with his own sand. "To Sakura, A great ally, Kazekage Gaara." She read aloud and smiled at him. "Thank you so much! I'm quite good with knives but haven't been able to find any that fit my liking." She held it up and balanced their weight in her hands. They really were perfect. The balance was equal and light, perfect for quick hand-to-hand combat. She smiled and sheathed them back into the holder that Gaara had wrapped it in.

She looked back into the box and was surprised to see a small jewelry box with her name inscribed on the front. With a glance at Gaara, she picked it up and opened it, her breath stopping abruptly at the sight.

Inside lay a necklace with a light red crystal hanging on the end of a small chain. What made it special, however, was what was inside the crystal. Sakura watched in wonder as sand swirled around the crystal in a slow spiral. With a start, Sakura realized that it reminded her of Gaara's sand swirling quietly around him when she visited him in Suna. "How on earth did you get this?" She held it up to the light still in complete awe at the craftsmanship.

"I bought the necklace and the crystal and placed some of the sand from Suna inside of it. I put a miniscule amount of my chakra in it and that is what keeps the sand swirling." He pointed to the moving grains as they twirled quietly in the crystal. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"You did that for me?" She looked at the necklace with the sand and thought of Gaara carefully infusing his chakra in it so that the sand would swirl just as it did when he was in Suna. _"Does he really care about me that much?"_ She watched as he smiled gently.

"You've never really been one to be afraid of me even during the exams." He held out his hand and she placed the necklace in it, brushing against his hand causing shivers of electricity to run down her spine. He noticed this as well.

She watched as he unclasped the necklace and motioned for her to turn so he could put it on her. She obliged and tried not to shiver again at his warm hands brushing against her neck as he clasped it back on. She turned back to face him and ran her finger across the crystal causing the sand to swirl quickly. She gasped a little and dropped the crystal back onto her chest where it resumed its slow spiral. Gaara saw this and inwardly tried to think of an explanation. _"Shukaku why did my chakra react to her touch?"_ He heard Shukaku chuckle.

 ** _"She has feelings for you. You forget that your chakra contains some of mine as well. The sand reacted to her touch because it has your chakra in it. When her hand touched the glass some of her chakra was in her fingers. It felt your chakra and reacted positively to it signifying that there is a bond between you two. My extra hormones are currently causing you to be in search of a mate our chakra will react to the one who you have the strongest attraction or connection to. But it is a mirror reaction. They also have to have a strong connection or attraction to you for it to work."_** Gaara mulled this over as Shukaku's voice faded.

"Sakura?" He said breaking the silence.

She turned to him and her eyes shimmered a little. "Yes? What's wrong?" She quickly glanced down at the necklace sitting on her chest. "Is there something wrong with the necklace?" She held it again and watched as the sand again swirled faster.

"No, I mean not exactly, nothing's wrong but there is something you should know. I don't expect you to understand right away." He waited and she nodded. "Your chakra reacted to mine. When you touch the crystal it causes your chakra and mine to react to each other." She nodded.

"I understand the reason why the sand moved, but why does it react to my chakra? I've never heard of chakra reacting in such a way other than in the Inuzuka clan when…" She trailed off, looking at his face and realized that his eyes unknowingly held the answer to her question. She blushed and looked down at the necklace, deciding not finishing her sentence was a very good idea.

"It's very pretty. Thank you Gaara." She murmured, deciding in a split second to lean over and hug him.

He froze as her warm arms wrapped around his back, not used to this close contact yet but most definitely enjoying it. All too soon she had pulled away and stood up, blushing as he watched her leave the room talking about making lunch for them. He sighed.

 _"This is going to be harder than I thought."_ He ran a hand through his hair and stood up to go help her in the kitchen. She waved him away and placed two bowls of ramen on the table.

"I hope you don't mind I wasn't really planning on making a big lunch today." She looked at the ramen and sat down to eat.

"I don't mind." He glanced at the clock on her wall. "This is a late lunch." He chuckled and she turned to see that it was almost two o clock.

"Wow it's been two hours and I didn't notice." She silently scolded herself for not being more observant but then stopped herself remembering with sudden clarity something that Tsunade-sama had said only a week before.

Konoha: A week before Christmas

"Sakura, I know that you're bored and want to go on a mission, but I want to hone your training in that new surgical technique we developed." Sakura looked at her mentor and sighed.

"Yes Tsunade-sama." She bowed lightly and looked at her teacher, quietly sipping her sake behind the desk.

"You need to relax more Sakura, I know that it is in your nature to be prompt and organized but every once in a while let yourself live a little." Sakura nodded. "Here have some sake." She poured Sakura a small glass of sake despite her protests. "Drink." She commanded. Sakura took the drink and sipped it. It tasted horrible and it took all of her willpower not to spit it at her teacher who had noticed her discomfort and promptly began to laugh.

"Now go home and relax. I don't have a scheduled time for your trainings I'll send a messenger whenever I want you to come train." She nodded as Sakura bowed and waved her out of the room.

Sakura smiled. Maybe Tsunade was right, maybe Gaara was just what she needed to relax.

End of Chapter 14


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara is a sweetie, Sakura is still flustered, Konoha is pretty in winter.

"Gaara, do you want to go see the town? I haven't gotten a chance to show you Konoha from the roof tops." Gaara looked up as Sakura walked over to him and sat down in the chair across from him.

"I would like that. My escorts always make me stick to the ground." He shook his head a little and sighed. "Being a Kage is restricting, but the city has become my responsibility and I know I won't be able to consciously turn it over until I can no longer protect it." Sakura watched as he stood up, walking over to the door to pull on his jacket and boots.

Sakura smiled at his statement and followed him, grabbing her scarf and coat before pulling on her boots. She was about to open the door when she felt something being handed to her. She turned around and blushed, finding herself looking up at Gaara from a very close proximity. "You forgot your gloves. I thought your hands might get cold." She blushed and nodded thanks before opening the door and stepping out into the cold air.

"So where do you want to go first?" She said smiling at him.

"How about the training fields? I've never seen them." He looked down at her and she looked away nodding.

"This way!" She smiled, before darting up to the nearest roof. He watched as she smiled down at him and then quickly followed. She darted in a quick path across the roof tops before jumping down into the deep snow and heading a little ways out of the village. "Well this is it. We have more than this field of course, but this is the main training field for Genin and Chunin. Not all that interesting but still, it holds some memories." She shrugged as Gaara looked over the wide fields surrounded by trees.

"Was this the first place you trained?" He gestured to three posts covered in snow. She nodded.

"Yeah this was Team 7's training grounds." Her voice had dropped to a mere whisper and Gaara looked down, noticing that her eyes were slightly glazed over. He realized that this was probably hard for her and quickly changed the subject.

"Is it alright for us to go into the forest?" He gestured to the large group of trees towards the back of the clearing. She smiled and nodded, grateful for the change of subject.

"I'll race you to the trees." He looked down at her bubbly face and couldn't help but smile a little.

"Sure." She grinned again.

"Winner gets a prize of their choice." He nodded. "Alright then on three; one, two three!" Sakura shot off like a rocket across the snow, her feet barely touching as she pushed a slight layer of chakra into each step. Gaara caught up quickly and easily passed her, stopping at the trees before grinning at her.

"I won." He said smiling. She sighed.

"All right so what do you want as a prize?" She crossed her arms and looked up at him. He didn't say anything. She waited, wondering what he was thinking and slightly cursed herself for no setting a set prize.

"I'll tell you later." He decided, Sakura rolled her eyes as Gaara simply shrugged.

"So what did you want to see in the forest?" She started walking across the snow gathering chakra in her feet so that she wouldn't sink. It was so second nature to her now that she didn't even notice it anymore. He looked up at the trees and noticed a few birds flying overhead.

"I don't really know. I just wanted to see the trees and snow I guess. It's been a while since I was in this part of the forest." He didn't look at her but could feel her eyes watching him.

"I love how peaceful everything is after it snows." She stated quietly as a bird trilled and flew off of a branch causing snow to fall gently down. Gaara looked around and nodded.

"I can see how you would enjoy that. In Suna everything is always moving. The sand is never still. Sometimes it is hard to find true stillness and serenity." He bent down and picked up a handful of snow and let it slip out of his hand in small flakes. It reminded him of holding his sand and letting it slip through his fingers. Sakura looked at his calm face and couldn't help but notice that a little bit of the hurt in his eyes had returned.

"But if you think about it nothing is ever really still. The birds still move the trees and the animals still walk through the snow. Everything still moves even when we think it is still." She looked around and saw a doe dart off into the woods gracefully jumping through the deep snow. Gaara followed her gaze and watched the doe leave.

"Do you come to the forest often?" He looked down at her as she turned back to him.

"Not really, I used to but I don't have any time anymore and any time that I have I use to either train, read, cook, or take walks. I come through the forest all the time but if you meant just to walk through it, not on a mission, then no, I don't come here often." She looked down at her feet barely touching the snow and only leaving small indents in it. She sighed and looked back at the sky. "Do you want to see my favorite place?" She didn't turn her head as she spoke. Gaara nodded and she glanced at him. "Come on it is a little ways from here. It's quickest by trees but careful it's kind of slippery." She darted up into the trees with Gaara close behind.

He had forgotten what she looked like when she moved in the ways she had been taught to do. She reminded him of a small bird, barely alighting on a branch before swiftly taking off again. She was in her element in the forest, anyone could see that.

All too soon Sakura dropped down from the trees, falling out of Gaara's line of sight for a split second before he joined her on the ground. They had stopped in a clearing with a path running through a large grove of trees. "These are the cherry blossom trees." Sakura nodded as Gaara followed her along the path to one of the larger trees in the clearing.

"When I was a kid my friends and I used to play here." She motioned to the trees and clearing before swiftly jumping up to sit on a branch high up in the large tree. Gaara jumped up to a branch near her and sat down as well. "My mom used to bring me here. She died when I was twelve when I was away on a mission. My dad died when I was three. I barely remember them anymore." Gaara looked up at her, surprised that she had brought that up. He knew he had never met her parents but never had he thought that they were both dead.

He watched her smile slightly, as if remembering some distant memory, and realized that he wanted desperately to hold her in his arms. He knew how it felt to be alone and he knew how it felt to feel as if you had no one to lean on. He looked down when she raised her head again. "But let's not talk about that. Do you like it here Gaara?" She gestured to the gorgeous scene in front of them as he allowed her to change the subject.

He looked around the clearing, taking in the sight of the snow sparkling on the trees and ground. The trees seemed to be in sort of a circle leaving an open space in the middle.

"I'm glad you showed me." He watched as she smiled lightly and gazed out at the fields. Small snowflakes began to fall and Sakura looked up as one landed on her nose.

"It's so much more magical now." She giggled and jumped down into the snow, landing gracefully on her feet. She felt very much like a child and for a split second she wondered if she was embarrassing herself. These thoughts disappeared when Gaara landed next to her and leaned against the tree. She laughed and walked out into the clearing catching snowflakes on her tongue. He almost couldn't stand it. She looked unlike anything else he had seen.

With a start he was snapped out of his thoughts by her voice calling him.

"Come on Gaara!" She laughed as she twirled slowly across the snow. He shook his head and just stood there, watching her twirl across the snow. She seemed so perfect from where he stood. So natural in this environment where the pale snow and delicate snowflakes seemed to compliment her hair and skin perfectly.

He was enjoying watching her dance about like a child at play and was rather startled when she stopped her spinning and grabbed onto his arm, towing him into the middle of the field.

He stood there looking at her incredulously, waiting for an explanation for her sudden gesture. She noticed his glance and simply shrugged. "I wasn't going to have you just stand there all serious. I know that you are the Kazekage but you need to lighten up. It was you who said that you were unsure about being the Kazekage because of the responsibility. So just forget about it for now and relax." Gaara loosened up a little and looked up, blinking as the snowflakes landed on his face.

"I'm not going to twirl if that is what you are expecting." He looked back at her with cold eyes. He walked past her and back over to the trees as she sighed.

 _"What was I expecting he is Gaara."_ She chuckled quietly to herself and followed him. "So do you want to head back? It is kind of cold out here." He nodded as they walked back towards Konoha.

They didn't talk on the way back and for this Sakura was rather grateful as she had no idea what to say to Gaara. She was still trying to figure out what he was doing to her. Why she felt the way she did when she saw him and what it all meant.

Gaara himself was content with the silence, it gave him time to secretly admire Sakura and think over certain ideas in his head. He was almost sad when they reached her house, knowing it meant that he would be unable to admire her in the light of the outdoors.

He opened the door for her, letting her in first before walking behind in behind her, taking off his coat and boots after he had shut the door. She followed suit and unwound her scarf before hanging her coat and hat up on a peg. She turned to Gaara before asking if he wanted her to reheat the ramen for dinner. He nodded and thanked her but said little else, sitting at the table as Sakura finished the ramen and handed him a bowl. Sakura noticed his distant gaze and realized he, much like herself, was most likely thinking something over in his mind.

He ate unusually quickly and had placed his bowl in the sink before nodding his goodnight to her and heading down the hall into his room. Sakura sighed. "I probably brought back old memories today. I shouldn't have mentioned my parents." She shook her head and washed the dishes, going over the day's events in her head with a tired mind. She was much too tired to read or do much of anything else after she had finished the dishes and decided that going to bed early would be the best course of action. Maybe then she could finally escape the confusing thoughts and feelings in her head.

End of Chapter 15


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara starts making moves. Sakura is receptive.

The next two days seemed to be normal. Sakura went back to the hospital to check up on her patients, despite Tsunade banning her from the hospital premises, as Naruto showed Gaara around a little in the morning. Around afternoon the blonde would say his goodbyes and Gaara would meet Sakura at the hospital before silently walking with her back to her house. They would both talk a bit, eat dinner, and then retire to their rooms for the night.

Just as the two were beginning to fall into a sort of mundane routine, the second blizzard decided to hit.

It started in the night, temperatures dropping as the wind began to howl and the snow began to fall in strong amounts. Sometime in the night the power lines were hit and both shinobi found themselves awake around five in the morning, sufficiently cold and no longer able to sleep.

Sakura had left her room, finding Gaara in the hallway looking just as cold as she felt as both nodded to one another.

"Power's out." Sakura stated bitterly. Gaara nodded.

"I noticed. Perhaps we should start a fire." Sakura agreed, asking him to find some candles in the kitchen as she started the fire. A few minutes later Sakura found herself huddled by the fire trying to stay warm in the dark, cold house, as she waited for the heat to begin to fill the room.

"It's so cold!" She shuddered and grabbed the blanket she had brought from her room a bit tighter around her shoulders. Gaara walked into the room and, having noticed her shivering, went to the hallway and returned carrying more blankets. He walked behind her quietly and draped one gently over her shoulders, causing her to look up at him with a surprised look.

"You looked cold." He stated, answering her questioning stare. She thanked him as he sat down next to her, warming his hands near the fire.

For a few moments the two sat in relative silence, the popping and crackling of the fire mixing with the howling wind outside creating an eerie and yet surprisingly cozy atmosphere in the room. With a sigh Sakura looked over at Gaara and shifted slightly under her blanket.

"Gaara, I'm sorry that you can't go back to Suna I know you wanted to get home and see your siblings for the holidays and this blizzard is preventing you. And I know that the power is out and my house isn't somewhere you want to be and…" Her voice cut off suddenly as Gaara growled. She stared at him wide-eyed as he nearly growled out his next words.

"Don't. You. Dare." He stared at Sakura with hard-set eyes as she stared at him, shocked at his rather passionate reaction to her words. "I have told you so many times Sakura; I came here on my own accord. I chose to stay for the holidays. I want to be here." He whispered the last bit.

Sakura simply stared at him with wide eyes, her emerald orbs taking in every bit of his hard expression. He glared at her with the unblinking expression, his face hardened into a mask of annoyance and power. She foundered for words but found none. Instead her mind settled on the notion that her mouth just wasn't working.

He turned away from her, and moved to sit on the couch, certain that he had made his point explicitly clear, and looked back at the fire. He leaned back with all comfort or warmth in his features gone. In his head he was silently cursing his temper for causing this fiery kunoichi, whose reputation for hotheadedness was renowned in all of the nations, to become silent and shocked.

She was famous for being the Legendary Slug Princess' student but her famous inherited temper was just as well known.

 ** _"Great going kid."_** Shukaku hissed this at him from the recesses of his mind as he frowned and quickly shut the annoying demon out of his thoughts. With a slight movement he turned and looked at Sakura who had stopped her floundering and was instead huddled under her blankets in deep thought.

 _"He seems to be very adamant that it was his choice to come here and that comment about wanting to be here? Who is this new Gaara? He is definitely changed."_ Inner Sakura rolled her eyes.

 ** _"Umm Earth to Sakura! Open your eyes and look! He likes you, you moron! He actually wants to be here. Don't tell me you don't want to grab him and kiss him. I know you do I can feel it."_** She practically shouted at Sakura.

Sakura widened her eyes _. "So that is what he's been hiding. All these side glances and stares, and the constant tension I've been feeling around him was him trying to hide that he likes me? That thing with the necklace, he meant that._ " She glanced back at him and saw an almost invisible sigh escape his lips. He felt bad about getting angry? She looked at him with new wonder and a sense of newfound admiration. She cleared her throat slightly, catching Gaara's attention, before beginning to speak.

"Gaara I understand you're reasons for coming and I understand that you made the decision yourself, I'm just not really used to anyone besides Naruto and Ino hanging around here. I guess I just feel bad about you leaving Suna for me. Nobody has ever done anything that nice for me before." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading forgiveness. He sighed again.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was too harsh. I try not to be but it's still part of my nature that I'm trying to change. Forgive me?" He looked at her, her beautiful eyes searching his, the very essence of power hanging around her, yet somehow delicate and gentle looking from under her pile of blankets.

Once again he felt as if he wanted to take her in his arms and make her warm. Despite the fire and blankets he could see her shivering in the frigid air and knew she was most likely far from comfortable. He fought the impulsive urge to grab her and run away from this house to somewhere far away and keep her all to himself. Instead, he waited for her answer watching the fire flicker behind her.

"Of course I forgive you Gaara." She whispered. He looked at her large green eyes gazing at him with softness and warmth, something only a rare few people had ever given him. He smiled at her as she stood from her place on the floor and moved to sit next to where he had gone to sit on the couch. "Can we forget about it?" She whispered again, looking at him with a pleading glance.

"Of course Sakura it was nothing anyways." His eyes met hers and for a moment, he felt as if he could see her very soul in the look she gave him, her eyes reflecting the light of the fire. He felt himself moving towards her unconsciously but couldn't stop himself. He was dangerously close to taking her hand in his and finally giving in to his wishes, when the power flickered back on. They both blinked, breaking their connecting stares, as the lights came back on.

Gaara sighed. _"So much for that."_ He watched as Sakura stood up and shut them off again, sitting down with a shrug as Gaara attempted to conceal a small smile.

"The heating is still out." She stated with a glance at the thermostat. He nodded as she came back to her spot shivering a little in the air.

Deciding the silence needed to be broken, she flicked on the TV before popping in a movie. Gaara's eyes lazily moved to the TV as the movie started but he didn't watch for long as he felt a warm body against his. He looked down in surprise to see Sakura curled up against him.

"Sorry I didn't mean to…" She began as she caught his gaze. He stopped her and gave a small smile.

"I don't mind." He smiled again and turned back to the movie as she cautiously laid her head back on his shoulder. He liked the feeling of her weight against him, her small body curled against his large one. He smiled inwardly and heard Shukaku growl contently. _"I don't know how much I can take before I snap. I don't think I can handle not being able to hold her. Why is that I wonder?"_ He thought rather bemusedly as Shukaku laughed.

 ** _"Hormones kid. Remember what else I told you in the forest?"_** Gaara immediately thought back to what he had said.

Forest of Konoha

"Shukaku! Are you kidding me? A physical attraction that won't go away? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Gaara didn't care if he was shouting out loud, he was mad. Very mad.

"Shukaku answer me." He growled an animalistic growl, anger coursing through him as the demon hissed from inside his mind

 ** _"It's simple boy, you will want her. To touch her, kiss her, whatever."_** He growled back annoyed.

"Damn it Shukaku I know what it means! I just want to know why? Why her?! Why did it have to be her?! I tried to kill her Shukaku, in case you forget, we tried to kill her!" He was still hissing, pacing the ground around his campsite. He was pissed. He knew he should be trying to sleep but knew that the idea of sleep was now completely out of the question.

"Forget that idea of meditating tonight!" He snarled.

He didn't care if rouge ninja found him now. He knew that he would kill them instantly. He was in a rage and everyone knew that anyone dumb enough to fight him when he was in such a state usually did not live to tell the tale. He yelled in frustration and sat back down onto a log, his head in his hands.

 ** _"You are an idiot kid it isn't that bad."_** Shukaku growled, annoyed at his host's behavior.

 _"You don't get it."_ Gaara growled back. _"She saved my life despite me almost ending hers, she helped me and Naruto get to understand each other, she has always been nice to me at least a little bit. She was crying at Chiyo's grave even though she barely knew her. She is the most dedicated person I have ever met and me? I'm a heartless murderer who has killed without a glance and doesn't care about it."_ He stood back up and growled again kicking the ground like a frustrated kid. "I don't deserve her don't you get it?! I deserve to die alone, again! I'm just going to end up killing her." He was calmer now, his lack of self acceptance filling him once more as it had done many times before.

He had changed since he had become Kazekage, that much was true. He cared for his people and had learned to accept himself for who he was. It was an ongoing process, that he knew, but he was better. Yet somewhere in his mind something screamed at him consistently that he was not worthy of romantic love. He waited for a response from Shukaku and sighed angrily when he received nothing but silence from the demon.

Gaara knew he had to go through with it. Shukaku's hormones weren't going to let up and he couldn't escape them like he had escaped everything else before. "Why does this always happen to me?" He growled, and got back onto his sand, deciding he needed to head out before he decided to destroy everything in sight.

Gaara snapped back to the present when he felt Sakura shift a little closer to him. He suppressed a growl. She wasn't making this any easier on him. Her pink locks reflected the flickering fire light and her pale face and large green eyes were so beautiful on her. He wanted to stroke her face and kiss her lips that were in a small smile as she watched the movie. He put his arm behind her and relaxed, trying his best to focus on the movie.

She felt his arm moved to rest on the couch behind her and looked up at him with a questioning look. "I thought you would be more comfortable." He stated simply, not removing his eyes from the screen.

"Thank you Gaara." She whispered, putting her head back on his shoulder and nestling into his arm and side.

It was a bold move on her part, that much she knew. She was crossing over a line of which she had very little knowledge of. This simple movement that was to her very natural, was a major move of trust on the part of Gaara. He was letting her into his space, something that was usual completely forbidden for everyone else, including his own siblings. It was amazing to Sakura that she was the one he had chosen to let into his space. Something was different. That was now abundantly clear.

_"He's so warm and soft."_

**_"Hell yeah!"_** Inner Sakura cheered from inside her. Sakura laughed inwardly. For once Inner had got her emotions to a tee. She felt herself slipping into sleep, lulled by the warmth of the body next to her as well as by the weight of her own thoughts and emotions.

Gaara looked down after a moment, hearing a soft sigh from his side from Sakura whose eyes had closed. She had seemingly managed to have fallen asleep cuddled next to him. He smiled and thanked the gods for finally giving him a break. He carefully moved her head off of his shoulder and picked her up in his arms bridal style.

 _"She will be more comfortable in her own bed."_ He thought before carrying her down the hall and into her bedroom. He laid her on the bed, pulling the covers up and gingerly laying her head on the pillow.

Her face was so peaceful and tranquil. Her pink hair strewn about the pillow and her hand resting next to her face, her head turned to one side. He couldn't help it, with a slow movement he found himself bending down before lightly kissing her forehead "Goodnight Sakura." He whispered and left.

Sakura's heart raced in her chest. Her feigning sleep had worked, she had heard everything and now had proof of her feelings. With a weight lifted from her chest and a rush of exhausting emotions flooding her once more Sakura close her eyes whispering a quiet, "Goodnight Gaara." Into the darkness before drifting off into a deep sleep.

End of Chapter 16


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara's smooth with Shukaku's hormones pushing him along. Sakura lets him get away with it.

Sakura stretched out under her blankets, retracting her legs with a hiss as her feet hit the cold part of her bed, her eyes fluttering open in confusion. She could have sworn only moments ago someone was kissing her lips ferociously.

Not just someone, but a certain redheaded Kazekage.

 ** _"You were dreaming about him."_** Inner Sakura stated plainly.

Sakura felt her face growing increasingly red and promptly shoved it into the nearest pillow. After a minute of lying in bed and attempting to sort through her feelings, yet again, she decided it would be best if she simply woke up and faced the day with a nice warm bath to relax her frazzled thoughts.

Holding her breath at the thought of the cold floor she quickly jumped out of bed and squealed before running across the frigid wood and into the bathroom to draw a hot bath.

The water was nice and warm and gave her goose bumps from the change in temperature as she slid into it. She shivered and sank further into the water sighing as the warm water began relaxing her muscles.

It felt so good to be in the warmth and out of the cold. It reminded her of the night before and how warm Gaara was when they sat by the fire. He had carried her to her room. Her face turned red at the memory as she let out another sigh.

Sakura decided she had to face the fact that Inner was right. She really did like him. So much so that she was dreaming about him. She looked over to her clothes lying on the floor with her necklace he gave her lying on the top, the sand still swirling slowly in it. Laying her head on the back of the tub she sat watching it swirl, lulling her into a sense of relaxation. It comforted her in an odd way.

After a while of soaking Sakura realized that she had been in the bath for a while and that Gaara was probably already up. She would need to go and make breakfast, or rather, she felt as if she wanted to. She sank into the water a little more, working up the courage to leap out of the tub, grab her towel and dry off with minimal shivering.

With a deep breath she did exactly that, pulling the plug in the tub and hurrying across her freezing floor, hopping from one foot to the other while cursing the heating for shutting down.

In her rush to get over to the dresser she managed to trip slightly on her towel, causing a rather loud thump as she banged her hip into the side of it. She let out a few choice curse words, angrily rubbing her hip and hoping that Gaara didn't hear her. She grabbed her bra and underwear and put them on quickly, shivering in the cold of the room before searching for her red shirt. She had just grabbed it when she heard a knock on the door.

"Sakura? I heard a loud noise." He waited for an answer.

"Oh I just bumped into something I'm fine." She blushed a little. _"Thank goodness it was Gaara, Naruto would have just busted right in."_

"Oh, ok." She heard him say this and then listened as his footsteps walked away down the hall.

With a sigh of relief, Sakura slid into a pair of long black leggings and a white medic-style skirt before walking out her door, sufficiently composed though definitely a bit sore. With a small start she realized that she smelled something delicious and was immensely surprised to find Gaara in the kitchen with two bowls of miso soup in his hands.

"I thought you would want something warm since the heating is still out." Sakura was taken aback. He simply handed her the soup before sitting down at the table.

"Thank you Gaara it looks delicious." She dug into it and smiled at him. It really did taste good. _"Who would have known that he would be a good cook?"_ She glanced at the counter and saw a cookbook lying open on the counter, immediately recognizing it as being one of the simpler ones in her possession. She smiled again and looked at Gaara who was eating his own soup. He looked up at her with a curious almost challenging expression. She blushed and looked down again rather quickly causing Gaara's face to screw up in slight annoyance.

 _"Again with the blushing and looking away. I'm going to have to make a move soon or I'll end up screwing everything up."_ He glanced over at Sakura, as she continued to eat her soup.

He could see the small chain around her neck and couldn't help but smile. He knew that she was wearing his necklace and immediately thought of the charm that she gave him which was in the pocket of his own shirt. "Sakura are you going to the hospital today?" He questioned. She looked up and nodded.

"I think so. They have most definitely cleared away the roads and I can't stay away from my patients, especially the children." She smiled and stood up with her bowl. "The soup was delicious Gaara. Thank you very much." She smiled and set her bowl in the sink. He stood up as well and set his bowl in the sink as well.

"I am glad you liked it." He watched as she moved over to the door, grabbing her coat as he handed her a scarf. She gave him a questioning look as he began to pull his coat on and he shrugged. "I might as well come with you and walk around." She busied herself with her shoes as he watched. "How long will you be at the hospital?"

"About an hour. I can't let Tsunade-sama catch me there so I have to leave early." She looked at Gaara as they walked out into the cold. He nodded again.

"Would you like to go back to the cherry blossom trees? I liked it there it was, peaceful." He looked down at Sakura who smiled up at him.

"Sure Gaara I'll meet you at the bridge in an hour." She smiled and waved goodbye as she walked away in the direction of the hospital. He watched her go and then turned, walking down to the market.

He walked past a small jewelry shop and saw a diamond ring that caught his eye. He walked inside and looked at it with interest. It wasn't large, and was certainly not flashy or overpriced. The stone itself was a circular cut diamond set on a small gold ring. He asked the store owner about it as the man smiled and began to tell Gaara about the karat and the clarity. After about five minutes Gaara had made up his mind and ended up buying it. _"Planning ahead never hurt."_ He thought to himself.

He found himself milling around the market for a while longer, looking in shop windows and watching people as he slowly walked down to the bridge. He leaned on the railing and pulled the box with the ring in it out of his pocket. He moved it around in his fingers until he could see the inside of the ring opposite the diamond.

His traveling sand flowed from a special pouch in his pocket swirling out and doing what his fingers bid it to do. Carefully he carved a cherry blossom into the gold along with her name. He glanced at the carving, satisfied with his work, before placing the ring back in the box and into his pocket. He knew it was rather early to be thinking of marriage but he knew that, if she would have him, she would be the one he would marry.

There was a definite attraction, on both sides, that much was clear. He knew his affections would not change. He was also aware of every glance Sakura gave him. Every blushing look, every unconscious movement towards him, and knew that she felt something for him as well. The severity of her attraction was unknown, that was true, but it was there and for that Gaara knew he had to act to solidify it further. He never thought of marrying, never thought of loving anyone ever again but here he was, in Konoha, thinking of marrying a girl who he had tried to kill.

" _I've got about half an hour to wait. I suppose I might as well stay here to wait."_ He sighed and resigned himself to watching the people milling about the village, some rushing through the cold and into stores or restaurants. He thought about himself and Sakura holding hands as they walked through the village. It was a silly thought, one he would have never had before, but he was in a good mood and could afford to think silly thoughts.

His tiny smile grew wider as he felt her chakra move towards him. _"Looks like someone had to leave early today."_ He smirked and waited for her, leaning casually against the bridge. She walked up to him, smiling when she saw him waiting.

"Sorry I'm early but I got kicked out again." He nodded to her and she motioned toward the forest. "Are we going?" He nodded and smiled. "Race you there?" She grinned at him devilishly.

"Yes." He replied. He was glad when they both went rushing across the snow, her girly laugh filling the air. Gaara won again easily and resigned himself to smirking quietly.

"You won again Gaara." She shook her head bemusedly as he smiled.

"You owe me two favors now." He began to walk away with her following close behind. He knew how to get to the clearing and they both walked for a while in silence, their breath swirling in the air in small white puffs. It was still rather cold, though it had become sunny, and the clearing looked even more dazzling in the bright light.

Sakura looked at Gaara slyly and then jumped into the nearest tree shaking snow onto Gaara's red hair. She laughed at his expression calmly looking up at her. He brushed off the snow and made his sand knock off some snow above Sakura causing her to lose her concentration and fall into the deep snow beneath the tree.

He chuckled as she stuck her head out from the deep drift, her green eyes full of a playful anger. Her pink hair was flecked in white from the snow falling quietly down from the tree.

This was their little piece of heaven. The snow was calming and the trees and clearing were beautiful in the winter air. He looked at her pale skin, blending in so well with the snow, her pink hair and green eyes adding color that seemed to be enhanced in the brightness of the light.

He contemplated his own appearance thinking that he too was a sharp contrast to the pale colors of his surroundings. He was distracted from this thought by a sudden flurry of snow flying towards him. He dodged it easily and grinned at Sakura's hands-on-hips pose and playful glare aimed towards him. "Missed." He said simply. She laughed.

"That won't happen again." She aimed another cloud of snow at him and he shook his head, easily dodging it. He smirked and she laughed. "Come on lets enjoy the snow." She called out again and ran out into the clearing giggling and jumping in the snow, her feet barely touching the ground.

She looked over at Gaara and motioned for him to follow her. He stood still for a moment but eventually gave in to the beautiful kunoichi's playful mood. He walked out into the clearing as she twirled close to him giggling. She grabbed his arm and spun him around, laughing loudly and creating an incredibly jolly atmosphere.

Gaara's long dormant heart jumped a little and he felt himself smiling. Her sweet scent filled his nostrils and he made a bold move of taking her hand which had slid down to his wrist. He spun her in a circle and she giggled.

 _"Who is this new Gaara? He's so gentle and kind!"_ She looked at his face and smiled a small smile as he spun her.

His red hair was still as spiky as ever. Pieces of it fell onto his face as they spun, giving him a daring style that fit his personality perfectly. His lips were pulled into a smile and she noticed that his pale skin was a little darker than her own at the present moment. This was most likely a holdover from the warm sun in Suna that had been gone from Konoha for far too long for Sakura's skin to have been able to keep the tan she had developed over the summer. His scar fit his face as perfectly as if it had always been there, but she knew from Temari that it had not.

Sakura looked at his eyes last. Knowing that the moment she did she would get lost in them. The pale turquoise was an exquisite shade, not marred by any other colors. The black lining around his eyes, strangely natural as it was, set it off perfectly. Those eyes were so full of hurt but held a deep passion. She wanted to get rid of that hurt. She wanted to make him forget it. She felt her heart swell as he took her other hand and they began to twirl across the snow in a slow dance, so much more natural than the dance at Tsunade's party.

He held her close, but not too close, and stared into her deep emerald eyes. She only looked away when he let her twirl away from him and then quickly looked back into his eyes, conveying her feelings unknowingly with her even stare.

He looked at her frail being in his arms. Of course he knew that she was tough as nails, strong, and more than capable of fighting and knocking him across all of Konoha; yet somehow in that moment she looked so incredibly small and delicate. This was the power of kunoichi.

He loved her power and her temper. He loved the way she could take control and match his moods. He had always known that he would never care for a woman who was anything but tough. Yet looking at her now, all he could see was beauty. Her pink hair held snowflakes and sparkled in the cold air. She smiled at him and then seemed to contemplate him as they danced. He couldn't tell if she was blushing or if the cold had turned her cheeks the lovely shade of pink that they were, but decided he liked the shade regardless, as he spun her around again. Her lips were enticingly calling to him as she analyzed him. Shukaku growled in his head and for once, he listened to him.

 ** _"Go for it kid."_** Gaara stopped spinning, retaining his hold on Sakura's hands as she looked up at him with a surprised expression.

He smiled for a moment before spinning her down for a low dip causing her to giggle uncontrollably before he pulled her up and suddenly pressed his lips to hers. She froze in his arms but he didn't let her pull away.

To his great surprise and happiness she returned the gesture, kissing him back and causing his heart to soar. He didn't know how much time had passed as they kissed.

Sakura's head was reeling but she pushed the thoughts away. She wanted this. She wanted him to pull her closer. She was kissing him incessantly, slowly, cautiously at first, and then passionately as if it was the last kiss she would ever receive.

He responded by pulling her closer against him, his hand on the small of her back while the other threaded itself through her pink hair. He never knew that one could feel this way from a kiss.

Sakura nearly whined as he pulled away regretfully soon, staring into her eyes as their breath came in hot pants that swirled in the air. He watched as her eyes searched his own, as he spoke his next words extremely carefully.

"I care for you." He whispered, as if speaking in a normal tone would break the feeling of total serenity that had settled over the two shinobi standing in the snowy clearing.

Sakura's eyes stared at his with a look that made all of his fears disappear in an instant. She knew from his look that this was the deepest thing he had ever said to anyone and she cherished it. Carefully, she placed her hand on the back of his neck, pulling his forehead down to rest against her own as she closed her eyes and whispered back to him.

"I care for you too Gaara." She heard him sigh and leaned into him as he pulled her against his body and into a hug, deciding that now, he was definitely never going to let her go.

End of Chapter 17


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara's making moves.

Sakura didn't want to let go but pulled back slightly to look up at Gaara with what could only be described as a completely peaceful expression. He wore a similar expression, as well as one of a more protective nature, and Sakura couldn't help but smile.

"What is that for?" He questioned.

"It's a happy smile of someone who doesn't want to go but has frozen feet." She teased him lightly, shifting in his embrace as he smiled a little more.

"Should we go back to your house?" His question was innocent in truth but Sakura couldn't help but to blush slightly as she slid her hand into his and held it, a gesture that now seemed to mean so much more to both of them, even if he was still stiff when dealing with human contact.

Sakura shivered slightly, whether from the cold or the pure adrenaline coursing through her veins she couldn't tell. All she knew is that the strangeness of all the feelings that she had been feeling had somehow disappeared. He felt different from anyone she had been with before.

Somewhere in her mind a nagging voice told her she was moving much too fast but she ignored it. For most it would be too fast. But they were not most people. They were shinobi. They had little time for romance and when it came their way, who were they to ignore it? Every day their lives were on the line and more often than not shinobi never got to experience love or find someone before their lives were cut short by the harshness of a blade or poison or simply as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sakura knew that Gaara was aware of this more than anyone. He had died. He had had the life taken from his body and then replaced at the expense of another. Sakura had been a part of this. Somewhere in her heart she knew that the man before her, this strange and unusual shinobi, this Kazekage of Suna, was more like her than she had ever realized.

Gaara looked down at her in the moment that she thought this and reinforced her feelings for him tenfold. Yes they would have a harsh life, yes they had fallen into this incredibly quickly, but Sakura had never felt anything more real in her entire life. Looking into the eyes staring down at her told her all that she needed to know. For whatever reason, they were going to be together. For how long, Sakura couldn't say. But she knew in that moment that if he asked her to be his, she would say yes. One kiss was all it had taken. She was his and she knew that it was more than just a simple 'feeling'.

Gaara watched her for a moment. The feelings he felt for her obvious on his usually closed off features. He watched as her eyes scanned his and watched as she shivered, gripping his hand a bit tighter as she unconsciously pulled him a little closer.

"It's getting too cold let's head back." She didn't protest as he pulled her out of the clearing. She was so overtaken by her rush of emotions and revelations to notice Gaara's sideways glances as he began to tow her through the street, keeping her extremely close to him. She didn't noticed his jaw tightening or the way he pulled her into the house and immediately let go of her hand. That was, until he stood in front of her, not letting her move any further into the house. She gave him a questioning glance as he quickly pulled her to the fireplace, still dressed in her outdoor clothes and began to start a fire, all without talking.

"Gaara? Are you alright?" She touched his arm carefully and he nodded.

"I saw something interesting in the village. A new hair piece I think would suit you. I think the shopkeeper knew you. We should look at it tomorrow." He glanced at her slightly as she immediately picked up on his unusual speech. _"There's someone following us that might have recognized us and we need to be on guard."_

She nodded, automatically beginning to scan the house for foreign chakra signals. She found none but kept searching for any anomalies.

Gaara was watching her carefully as she scanned the house. Her chakra pulled him towards her, sending small jolts of electricity through his veins. He scanned the house as well just in case.

"Perhaps they didn't know me. After all, they didn't say anything." Gaara nodded and poked at the newly formed fire with a poker.

"Perhaps not." He replied. She nodded and touched his arm lightly before shaking her head slightly. "It's kind of late I'm going to turn in." He watched her carefully, knowing that it was early, they hadn't had dinner and she was still speaking in the code they had developed.

"I think I will as well." He replied and smiled at her, letting her leave before walking down the hall to her room. He followed her and sat outside of her room. If anyone was in the house or in her room he would know it. They were creating a bait situation and for this, Gaara was sufficiently on guard. He situated himself outside her door and listened as she hummed a song he knew well.

He heard covers rustle and knew that she was starting the plan. He hid his chakra immediately, his sand slipping under the door to guard her as she pretended to sleep.

Only a few minutes had passed before a spike in his sand made Gaara's senses immediately heighten. He was on his feet with one silent movement, opening her door within a few seconds and quietly creeping into her room.

A figure moved through her window having disabled her traps as Gaara hid in the shadows. He hadn't been seen, which meant he had the element of surprise. Immediately, he sent his sand over to the window and closed it when the person was inside. He then quietly stepped out of the shadows and dodged a kunai sent towards him. His sand trapped the person's wrists and legs and dragged him out of the room. Gaara froze in the hallway, his sand no longer sensing Sakura's signature chakra within the now empty bedroom.

"Where is she?" He hissed with venom in his voice strong enough to send the Hokage herself running for cover. The figure before him began to stutter, obviously not used to dealing with such a person.

"I don't know! She wasn't there! My master sent me to get her! I swear she wasn't in the room when I went in! Please let me go! I won't ever come back!" The person was pleading, obviously realizing who he was dealing with was much stronger than him.

Gaara growled and threw him out the door and into the street where two ANBU, who Gaara had been summoned to watch Sakura's house during Gaara's stay, picked him up and left. Gaara quickly walked into the hallway only to find Sakura standing with two men knocked out at her feet. She looked at Gaara with a sigh of relief.

Gaara immediately went to her side. "Are you ok?" He murmured. She nodded.

"They were horribly trained." She smirked and jumped out of his arms picking up a man and dragging him out the door to where more ANBU were waiting for him. Gaara grabbed the other and did the same. "It was a good call, using that code speech earlier. I am just surprised they had the guts for this." She shook her head in disgust. "I just don't know why they were trying to kidnap me."

"To get to me. He saw me with you and figured kidnapping you would affect me." He stated this as a fact that seemed to him more revolting than nearly everything else. "I put you in danger." He looked at her with an expression full of protectiveness, anger, and hurt. Sakura was a bit taken aback but immediately shook her head.

"I can take care of myself. I'm a kunoichi Gaara. I'm used to threats and I don't care about idiots like that." She looked up at Gaara, noticing that the pain still resided in his eyes, and moved forwards, pulling him into an impromptu hug.

Gaara stiffened but then sighed and put his arms around her waist. "This will be dangerous for you Sakura. I'm not just another shinobi. More than one person wants me dead. There are entire lands out there that would pay anything to have my head. I know you are strong and prepared for that but I don't know if I can risk it." Sakura shook her head adamantly and looked up at him with fierceness in her eyes.

"Gaara, I know this is moving fast and that it is dangerous but, Gaara, my _life_ is dangerous. I could be killed today or tomorrow, on a mission, or maybe not for years from now. But I can't know when that will happen. I chose this life knowing that it would most likely mean that I would be alone for my life. It's hard for shinobi to live normal lives. Even harder for them to find someone to find someone they care for. Admitting it is even more difficult because it means you have a liability. Someone who will be on your mind when you fight, someone you will want to come home to. And someone that you never want to put in the position where they would have to experience the pain of losing you. It feels like you've been physically wounded when you lose someone you have fought with before, but it is a thousand times worse when you lose someone you care about." She paused for a moment taking a deep breath before looking deeply into Gaara's eyes once more.

"That's why I can't let this go. That's why I don't think this is too fast. That's why I don't want to let _you_ go. I've never felt like this before and I know it might be my only chance to feel like this so please, for my sake, don't worry about this, don't over think it, just…just let it happen." She gave him a small smile as Gaara pulled her close to him, crushing his lips to hers as if he was attempting to solidify everything she had said and answer it with everything he had. He slowed the kiss slightly, his lips caressing hers as she kissed him back, feeling for him in that moment more than she had felt earlier in the day.

Now there was nothing left unsaid. Her thoughts were on the table and he had accepted them. He was claiming her more with every second, the feelings she felt for him solidifying itself into a place in her heart where she knew they would never truly leave. It was real. This was all so real.

After a moment, Gaara pulled away, trailing light kisses down her neck before looking up at her with eyes nearly overflowing with emotions.

"Sakura." He murmured as he continued to hold her close.

"Yes? What is it?" Her eyes glanced over his.

"I will protect you for as long as I breathe." Sakura should have felt shocked by these words, most people would have been. Instead she felt a sense of perfect happiness settle over her.

"I know. I only wish I could do more for you." He stared at her intently.

"You don't need to do anything else Sakura. In my life I would have never believed anyone could like me, let alone care for me the way you do. Let me protect you in every way I can." She nodded as he stared down at her. He decided in a split second that marking her then was the right time. He couldn't risk her getting threatened again and with a mating mark he should know if something happened. Sakura noticed his lips pulling up into a slight smile and stared at him amusedly.

"What are you thinking about?" She murmured softly.

"I was thinking about something very… unusual. Sakura, would you let me protect you, in all the ways I know how to? Would you trust me with that?" Sakura looked at him, a bit surprised before nodding.

"Of course I would. You are free to do what you feel. I would protect you with my life, you know that." He nodded remembering that it was her who had fought the Akatsuki, and won, for him.

Without another word, he leaned down and kissed her lips once more before trailing kisses along her jaw and neck until her reached the soft juncture where it turned into the creamy and strong expanse of her shoulder. There he began to suck lightly as Sakura's breath hitched slightly in her throat. As she let out a sigh he bit down lightly infusing his chakra in the same instant before kissing the spot and moving back to kiss her lightly on the lips. As he pulled back he was met with a very red faced kunoichi with a rather quizzical look on her face.

"A hickey?" She squeaked.

"A special kind." He smirked as she pulled back from the hug, lingering for a moment before sighing.

"Now I am really tired. Would it be terrible if I went and got something to eat and then went to rest now?" She sighed as she looked at him, receiving a small smile in return.

"Of course not." He watched as she slipped away from him and into the kitchen to eat dinner. He followed and did the same until she said goodnight to him. He watched her door close before heading down to his room, a smile still present on his face. _"I hope that was the right choice to mark her without telling her."_ He sighed again closing his eyes and reveling in the wonderful feeling running through him as he began to get ready for bed.

End of Chapter 18.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara's made his move. When I write about affection between them I swear I'm not using innuendos, Gaara's just sort of awkward.

Sakura had fallen asleep almost immediately after crawling into her bed. The night passed without incident or dreams and when she awoke the next morning, she felt more rested than she had in a long while. The heating must have turned on during the night as the room was certainly warmer than when she had gone to bed.

 _"Good maybe then I can finally stop worrying about freezing my feet off."_ She yawned loudly, placing her feet on the floor and then quickly pulling them back into the bed with a small shriek. _"Or maybe not!"_ She hissed slightly as she stepped fully onto the floor, yawning her way into her bathroom.

She ran a brush through her hair, pulling it up slightly as the red mark on her neck caught her eye. She blushed profusely remembering the events that had transpired the night before, and quickly examined it in the mirror.

 _"So it's a hickey. Hmmm."_ She squinted at it slightly noticing that it looked almost like a kanji. With a sigh she smiled and shook the idea away. _"Oh well he did say it was special whatever that meant."_ She smiled and walked out of the bathroom, maybe she would ask him about it. There were so many things she wanted to ask him.

Were they going to make it public? What was going to happen when he went back to Suna? Would she go with him? Knowing the answer to one of the questions already she sighed and a long sleeved red dress over her head and black stockings up her legs. She smiled at her reflection, deeming herself presentable, before walking down the hall.

She was slightly disappointed when she found an empty kitchen and looked around for Gaara, expecting him to be there. She was about to walk back into the hall when a plate of eggs and toast, both still warm, resting on the table caught her eye. As she moved closer she noticed there was also a note lying next to the plate. She picked it up and read it.

_Sakura,_

_I've gone to get some food from the market, I noticed we were running low, and information on your attackers from Tsunade. Please eat and stay inside. I will return shortly. Don't worry, you are safe._

_-Gaara_

Sakura smiled at his note and tucked it into her dress pocket before picking up the plate of eggs. She leaned her head down as she spooned the eggs into her mouth and felt a slight pinch in her neck where the hickey was. She began to raise a hand full of chakra but then stopped and decided not to heal it. _"Gaara said it was special so I'll keep it."_

She smiled as a thought of belonging to Gaara ran through her head and made her blush. She ran a finger over it lightly and was surprised when she could have sworn she felt it pulsate against her touch, but she shook the idea off and continued to eat. The eggs were heavenly and she ate them quickly before going over to the living room. She had just sat down when she heard a knock on her door.

It was Naruto's chakra so she stayed in the living room, knowing he would barge in regardless and rolled her eyes as she heard the door open and the blonde's voice fill the house.

"Sakura-chan?! Are you here?!" His face suddenly appeared around the corner as Sakura stood and was immediately enveloped in a bone crushing hug. "I heard about the attack! You aren't hurt are you? We'll catch the guys who did this don't worry!" He hugged her again and she hit him on the head lightly, causing him to let go of her.

"I'm fine Naruto. I'm a little insulted you think Gaara and I couldn't handle three idiots by ourselves. In fact, I'm a little insulted you thought I would have been injured by one of them. We already caught them." She looked at the blonde who was now giving her a rather apologetic look, to which she merely rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about me Naruto. You might as well stay here since you are so worried, Gaara went to get information and I'm bored."

"Thanks Sakura-chan!" He smiled his cheesy smile and plopped onto the sofa with a rather relaxed look, flinging his arm casually around Sakura's shoulder as Sakura rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. They had just begun to watch a show when Gaara's voice came from the door.

"Hello Naruto, Sakura. We have new news of the attackers. They are rouge ninja's that are working for Haru, a former sand ninja. They are low level Chunin, hired grunts. Naruto, the Hokage requested you." His eyes flicked to Naruto and his jaw got tighter as he saw his arm. Luckily for Naruto he decided to jump up and run out the door with a call of "Baa-chan will be pissed if I'm late, thanks Gaara!" and "See ya Sakura-chan!" before the door slammed shut.

Sakura laughed as Gaara merely sighed in relief. "Good morning Sakura." He sat next to her and gave a small smile.

"Good morning Gaara." She returned the smile as his hand came to trace the mark on her neck. She leaned into his touch slightly as his eyes flickered to stare at hers.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his voice calm and gentle. She shook her head.

"No not at all." He nodded.

"Good… I should probably tell you this." He sighed. He had been thinking about this all night. The guilt of not telling her she was marked with a mating mark was heavy on his shoulders and he didn't like it at all. She looked at him with a questioning glance as he continued. "The mark is a mating mark. It means that you are mine; at least you are marked as mine. It ties me to you and contains a trace amount of my chakra. I can feel when you get hurt or if you need me. It keeps you safe. You don't need to understand but just know it won't go away even if you heal it." Sakura's mouth fell open and she foundered for words.

"Mate? I'm your mate? Like the Inuzuka?" She laughed and caught Gaara off guard. He sighed slightly, commanding Sakura's attention once more.

"Sakura hold on to me and trust me." Sakura cocked her eyebrow but listened to him, after all she had no idea what was going on. Even Inner was in a stupor and wasn't helping at all. Sakura felt her feet being lifted off the ground and sand swirled around them as she felt her body being pulled with the unmistakable pull of a transportation jutsu. She closed her eyes and hung on to Gaara tightly. She heard his voice, as if in a dream, softly calling her name.

With a few blinks she opened her eyes and looked up at his worried expression taking in their new surroundings. She smiled. They were at the cherry blossom trees again and he had draped her coat tightly around her shoulders. "Sakura?" He asked again, his voice still soft as he set her down on the ground. She nodded.

"Why are we here again Gaara?" She pulled on her coat, glancing around before turning back to Gaara with a mildly confused expression.

He said nothing as he took her hands and glanced at her, pulling her to the clearing as she pulled him into a similar dance to the one they had done the day before. She smiled and breathed in his scent of sand and sun and his own sort of smell.

"I wanted to talk to you." He murmured after a moment of quiet dancing.

"About the mark?" She murmured back as he nodded.

"Yes, about the mark and about what I'm feeling." Sakura stared up at his turquoise eyes with a sense of wonder. He was going to talk to her about these things? No one had done that before. With a small nod Gaara began to continue. "The mark is, as I've said, a mark of protection. I want to protect you Sakura, and I intend to do so. I care about you more than I thought was possible for such a short time. I didn't intend to come to Konoha specifically for this. It just, happened that way." He looked away from her for a moment as Sakura took in what he had said.

"I know what you mean Gaara. I've felt a connection to you, in a way, since I was sent on the retrieval mission." Gaara turned back to her now, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "I thought it was simply because I had begun to see you as someone to befriend Naruto, and Konoha. But after everything happened, after everything was over and you were there again, I felt as if I knew you more than I ever had before. It's silly because you barely said anything to me, but I felt as if we shared a…commonality."

She looked up at him once more, her eyes wide and caring. "I don't think these feelings came from nowhere Gaara and I don't think we are moving too quickly. I think this was meant to happen this way." Gaara raised his hand carefully, resting it tentatively on the side of her face as he gazed into her eyes.

"You are alright with this then?" He questioned as she nodded.

"Yes I'm alright with this, with all of it." She leaned towards him slightly, her arms wrapping up around his neck as he fought the urge to go completely rigid.

With a slow movement Gaara leaned forwards, claiming her lips in a gentle kiss. Sakura returned it, her hands entwining themselves in Gaara's hair as he kissed her a little harder, pulling her into him gently as she returned his kiss with enthusiasm. After a few moments they separated, their hands now intertwined as they breathed out swirling breaths into the cold air. "Don't go, ever." His voice was barely a whisper in the stillness of the clearing but to Sakura, it was as loud as a siren.

"I won't, ever."

End of Chapter 19


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things move quickly but it's worth it.

Gaara felt as if his very heart had stopped. He knew Shukaku's hormones had been disappearing ever since he had marked Sakura so this was all his own feelings. His world began to move slowly, as if he was caught in some sort of strange time warp. For a moment he wondered if he was in a dream. His hands squeezed Sakura's lightly. This was real and she had just answered him with something he had thought to be impossible.

He pulled back for a moment, making eyes contact with her before pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her tightly, his head buried into her shoulder.

Sakura was a little shocked. With a slight worry in her voice she spoke. "Gaara what is it?"

"It's nothing I'm simply, processing." He murmured this reply as Sakura smiled gently and held him a little tighter.

"Well I'm not going anywhere you know." She smiled as he pulled back a bit to stare into her eyes.

"I know you're not." He paused for a moment. "You just don't know the impact some of your words have." He smiled down at her and she blinked at him in return.

"I could say the same for you."

"It might be the wrong time for this but I was wondering if I could talk to the Hokage about something rather important. I understand if you don't want me to go now." She smiled and nodded lazily. She was normally not like this but Gaara made her relax in some ways. She smiled and pressed her head into his chest, soaking up his unique scent and warmth.

"Of course you can go and speak with her. We can go back to the house and I'll wait for a while as you talk to her." She smiled at him.

"So long as you stay inside." He whispered softly. "Come on let's get you out of the cold." He took her into his arms once more and transported them back to her street. They parted as they landed on the street, a sense of laziness and utter comfortableness hanging over both of them.

He walked up to her house and opened the door. "I'll be back soon." He gave her one long look and then left.

She sighed as he walked away and walked over to the sofa, her heart still beating harshly in her chest as she realized she already missed his warmth.

Gaara jumped over the rooftops to the Hokage office bristling the whole way at the thought of what he was going to do. He never thought that he would be so worked up over a girl or idea. Gaara stopped outside of the Hokage tower door and fixed his clothing, straightening his back and hair before walking in with a rather serious expression. He was here on official business after all.

Shizune was surprised to see Gaara walking into the office. She straightened up immediately and jumped up, quickly walking over to him.

"Kazekage-sama, are you here to see Tsunade?" She bowed and he nodded.

"I would like to see her on official business. Nobody should disturb us unless it is an emergency." Shizune's eyes grew wide as she nodded and walked quickly down the hall to Tsunade's room. Gaara followed almost smirking at her reaction.

 _"She must think something has happened."_ He paused for a moment before smiling lightly. _"Well I suppose in a sense something has happened."_ Gaara stopped as Shizune opened the door and announced that he was there to see her on official business. She nodded and he walked in.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, her hands clasped under her chin as she stared at Gaara intently. "Shizune keep anyone away unless it is an emergency as you know." She nodded and shut the door. "So Kazekage-sama what is it?" She looked at him once more, gesturing for him to sit, which he did, before he began to speak.

"I would like to join our villages in something stronger than a written alliance." He watched as Tsunade's eyebrow shot up as she looked at him with curiosity.

"And what would be stronger than a written alliance?" Tsunade questioned. Now more than intrigued by the visiting Kazekage. He almost chuckled. She knew exactly what he meant but wanted to hear him say it.

"Marriage to someone in your village." Her eyebrows raised even higher and she laughed, sitting back in her chair.

"Well well Kazekage-sama I never saw you as a marrying type." She chuckled again and grinned at him.

"Well I did not see myself as that type until recently. I myself could never have even to begun imagining it." He smiled a little and she beamed.

"So who's the lucky girl?" She questioned, sufficiently interested at who could have possibly caught the eye of the renowned, and feared, Kazekage.

"You will have to wait and see, as I have not yet asked her. I was merely suggesting the alliance before I made any propositions, seeing as it concerns your village." She nodded.

"It was acceptable for you to do so but I do not see how it would make much of an impact as you have the choice to choose whoever you wanted, from whatever village you wanted." She smiled and took a sip of sake. He nodded.

"You are correct, of course, but I still wanted to make sure." He stood and bowed. "If you would excuse me I have other business that I need to attend to. I would like to keep this confidential." She nodded.

"Good luck on your proposal Kazekage-sama." He smiled.

"Please, call me Gaara." She nodded.

"Goodbye Gaara." He nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind him and walking past the worried face of Shizune before walking out onto the balcony. He smiled and couldn't help but take the rooftops in order to get back to Sakura faster. He opened the door to her house and took off his coat and boots before silently crept into the living room. He wasn't surprised to see her smiling at him as he tried to sneak up on her.

"That was rather fast. What was the important business?" She teased, her jade eyes watching him as he sat next to her on the couch. She snuggled up to him and he responded by pulling her closer, forcing himself to relax at her touch.

"I'll tell you later." She nodded, deciding that he would keep to his word. "Would you like to put on a movie?" She nodded again and stood up, putting in a random movie before moving back to her spot on the couch.

He put his arm back around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. They watched the movie in silence, both content with simply enjoying the others company. Once it ended they both got up to make dinner.

Gaara's mind was racing. He was planning to propose tonight and couldn't help but wonder if they really were taking this too quickly. Despite all she had said to him, and all he had said to her, he was still worried about how invested she really was. This had all happened in a manner of days. He tried to ignore his feelings, instead focusing on helping her make the stir fry.

The two sat at the table for a while as they ate rather slowly. Gaara talked of renovations in Suna as Sakura spoke of the building projects in Konoha. The topic moved on to political relations as well as the upcoming Chunin Exams that were to be held once more in Konoha. They finished their dinner and then talked for a while more, both learning more about the others home.

By the time they stood to place the bowls in the sink, it was getting dark and the sun was just starting to set. Gaara washed off the bowls, gathering up his courage before turning to her.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" He questioned, gesturing to the window as Sakura nodded.

"Sure! A walk sounds wonderful." She followed him to the door, putting on her coat and scarf.

The village was rather still as most people had retreated inside and out of the cold. The two walked side by side for a while until Sakura gave Gaara a playful look.

"Race you to the bridge." She grinned before quickly jumping onto the nearest rooftop, heading towards the bridge. He followed, letting her win purely to see the triumphant look on her face. He watched with a smile as she gracefully jumped to the ground.

"Beat you!" She called, her hands placed on her hips as she laughed. Gaara gave her a soft smile and moved towards her. The air had gotten still and the night wind blew in softly, carrying tiny snowflakes along with it. Sakura had turned towards the bridge, taking in the familiar scene with a smile.

"It's just like Christmas Eve when you showed up on the bridge." She smiled and looked back at Gaara. "So why did you want to come here?" She took his hand, pulling him onto the bridge as he stuck his other hand in his pocket. She was becoming a bit bolder with her actions.

"Well I wanted to show you something and tell you about what I talked to Tsunade about." Sakura nodded, waiting to hear the news, absentmindedly fidgeting with a piece of her hair. Gaara stared at her intently, smiling softly before rubbing his thumb gently over her small hand. "Sakura…" He started, his voice betraying him and sounding much harsher than he had intended. She looked at him with a slightly concerned expression.

"Gaara what is it? Is something wrong with the alliance? Is there something going on?" She looked over his shoulder, wondering if the stillness was really the calm before a storm. "Gaara if something has gone wrong you can tell me." She held his hand a bit tighter as he shook his head with an amused look.

"That's one of your many great qualities Sakura. Your ability to want to constantly help people. You are a very strong person and always get done what has to be done." She smiled a little and looked back at him before going back to scanning the rooftops.

"Thank you. So what is going on?" She turned back to him as he stared down at her with a soft expression, causing some of her worry to dissipate.

"Nothing is wrong. I spoke to Tsunade about the alliance, that much is true, but not about breaking it. I spoke to her about strengthening it." Sakura looked at him for a moment with an interested expression.

"Well that's, that's wonderful!" She smiled again as Gaara chuckled lightly.

"Sakura, this is a big step for the villages and for myself..." He trailed off slightly as he got down onto one knee and pulled out the ring as her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide. Gaara watched in wonder as he swore he saw them sparkle. "Sakura Haruno, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" His turquoise eyes looked up at her and for once, the hurt was almost completely gone. She caught her breath back.

"Yes." She whispered, before repeating her answer a bit louder. "Yes Gaara, I will marry you." He smiled and slid the ring onto her finger before catching her in a tight embrace, pulling her close and kissing her gently.

She kissed him back, as she laughed a little. He smiled and gently caressed her back with his hands.

"You are sure you want this?" He whispered to her softly as they broke the kiss. She pulled back and looked at him, seeing the trepidation in his eyes.

"Gaara, you are the only person I have felt this way for. I am not going to give that up." He searched her emerald eyes before deciding he liked what he saw there.

"Then I will never let you go." He murmured.

End of Chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler lovey-dovey stuff.

Gaara pulled his head back and looked at Sakura with a sense of wonder still hanging over him.

She couldn't have looked more perfect. Her pink hair blew softly and her eyes were wide and bright. She laughed again and he pulled her closer into his arms as she put her head on his shoulder.

He breathed in her sweet scent and swept her off of her feet and into his arms bridal style. She laughed again and slid her arms around his neck. She looked at him and smiled again.

She love the way his red hair blew in the wind and noticed that his turquoise eyes no longer held any hurt that was visible on the surface. She smiled again and hugged him a little tighter, as if she needed to remind herself that he was really there. He jumped down onto their street and opened the door to her house, nudging it with his foot as he carried her inside.

"Sabaku no Sakura." She smiled as he looked down at her. "I like the sound of that." 

"I like it too." She smiled up at him with her gorgeous emerald eyes sparkling. He set her down for a moment, both of them removing their winter clothes, before promptly picking her up in his arms the moment she finished. She laughed at his antics and let him carry her to the living room.

He set her down on the couch before quietly sitting down next to her. She smiled at him for a moment and shook her head as he pulled her into his lap quickly becoming infatuated with the idea of physical closeness to her. She held onto him as his strong arms encircled her, chasing away any trace of a doubt that she held in her mind.

Gaara closed his eyes and wondered how much more perfect it could possibly get.

"Sakura don't ever go away please." He whispered quietly to her and she smiled and closed her eyes as well.

"I won't Gaara. I promise that I won't." He smiled and opened his eyes to look down at her small form.

"We have to keep this quiet for a while." His turquoise eyes examined her own and he waited for an answer.

"Of course. It's going to be a rather large shock to most, what with the political implications and all. I will act like usual but I can't promise that I can do that all of the time." She smiled and her eyes sparkled in the light of the fire that had been burning slowly for a while.

He smirked and brought his hand up to her face. His eyes searched her facial features and he took in every bit of her milky skin. He really wasn't used to this physical affection but found that he liked it when it was coming from her.

"I don't expect you to." He replied, leaning down to kiss her softly. She responded by sliding her hand to the back of him hair and pulling him closer. Growling a little at this response he gently nipped at her lip. He trailed his kisses down her jaw line, feather light and gentle.

"You'll have to hide this mark." He murmured against her skin. He smiled a little when he noticed her mark was the same as his scar. _"The Kanji for love, how fitting."_

"I will wear something to cover it up. You can help me find something to wear over it." She smiled and stood up, detaching herself from Gaara's grasp. She laughed at his sideways look and grabbed his hand.

She walked down the hall to her room and looked in her closet for a scarf or turtle neck.

"I'm not, particularly good, nor interested in clothing, but I suppose a collared shirt would work. Similar to what you have been wearing lately." Gaara held up a shirt with a collar and buttons that looked remarkably similar to Tenten's usual ensemble.

"I don't look good in that shirt though." She replied simply and continued digging. He grabbed her hand. She looked up at him curiously and put her hand on her hip.

"Try it on and I'll be the judge." He said as he handed her the shirt. She rolled her eyes and took it into the bathroom to try on. He sat in the chair near her desk and waited. A few minutes later she opened the door and walked out.

"So what do you think?" She spun in a slow circle and he nodded.

"It will certainly do the job." It was gorgeous on her and he liked it.

"Does it cover the mark? I forgot to check." He looked at her neck and nodded. She smiled. "I'll wear it tomorrow then." He watched as she went back to change into her other shirt.

"Don't you want these? We can sit by the fire for a while if you want." He held up her sweat pants and pajama top. She smiled and took them in her hand.

"That sounds nice. I'll be there in a minute." She smiled and walked back into the bathroom. He walked out and down the hall smiling.

He opened the door to his room and shut it before taking off his clothes and pulling on a black shirt and a pair of his usual black pants.

He walked back to the living room and sat on the couch waiting for Sakura. She was going to be his. He got up to stoke the fire. The embers glimmered and he blew on them lightly causing them to stir and ignite the fire.

He had been so stubborn and insistent that he didn't want anything to do with her that he had almost prevented the greatest thing from happening. All it took was two weeks for her to get under his armor. He stood up and frowned a little. _"She's taking quite a while."_ He looked down the hall and saw her door open. He smiled and walked back to the couch and sat down.

"Sorry about the wait I was just moisturizing my face." She sat down then blushed at her comment. "That probably sounded really lame." He shook his head.

"I don't mind." She smiled and leaned on him.

He put his arm around her shoulders cautiously, mimicking what he had seen Naruto do, as they watched the fire crackle. After a few moments of silence Sakura began to speak. "Tsunade sent me a note by hawk a few moments ago." He looked at her with a slight furrow in his brow.

"What was it about?" He was uneasy hearing this.

"She needs me for a mission tomorrow. I am going alone to find a hideout of a rogue group. She will send backup once I have found it and I will then act as a medic for the team. There are no ANBU available for recon right now so I was the best choice. I don't want to leave you here." She buried her head in his chest and hugged him. "I'll be back within three days and I'll be safe." He rubbed her back gently before speaking.

"Who says I can't go with you?" He smiled as she looked up at him with surprise. "I'll meet you in the forest and we'll go together. Tsunade won't know and if she does, then I acted of my own accord and she will not have to answer for it." She smiled and hugged him.

"You'll have to disguise yourself so the others don't know." He nodded.

"I can do that. If it means that I can keep you safe."

After a few more minutes of silence, he noticed that she had fallen asleep. Silently, he picked her up and carried her to her room, laying her on the bed and standing up to leave. He felt a hand grab his shirt and turned to see her emerald eyes watching him.

"Stay please." Her tired gaze watched his reaction and he smiled.

"Ok, I'll stay." He walked over to the other side of the bed and laid down. She pulled the covers up around his shoulder and curled up next to him smiling.

"Goodnight Gaara."

"Goodnight Sakura." He closed his eyes and smiled.

End of Chapter 21


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What engagement would be complete without a mission?

Gaara opened his eyes and blinked at the light pricking his eyes from the alarm clock on the side of the bed. Knowing it would soon go off, he reached over and shut the alarm off, not wanting or needing the beeping noise.

He felt a small weight on his other arm and rolled over to look at her, suddenly feeling awkward in the morning light. The awkwardness dissipated as she realized that she was beautiful when she slept, her hair strewn about her face in an endearing manner. He listened and watched her for a moment hearing her steady, quiet breathing was calming.

He sighed and cautiously stroked her hair gently, reminding himself that this was allowed. She shifted a little and moved closer to him making him tense for a split second before relaxing. He didn't want to wake her but knew he had to. She was just too cute when she slept. _"Well I will get to sleep next to her for the rest of my life."_ He smiled at the thought and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Good morning." She smiled and stirred a little, opening her emerald eyes to look at him.

"Good morning Gaara how did you sleep?" She yawned a little and blushed slightly at the thought that he had stayed with her all night.

"Well." He kissed her forehead and moved to toy with her hair. "The mission is today." She sighed.

"Yeah I know and it's New Year's Eve too. I have to get ready." She looked up at him and met his stare.

"At least I'll be with you. I should probably get ready as well so I can get a head start to the place where I will be meeting you." She nodded. Neither of them moved and Gaara smiled. "I don't want to go either but we have to." She gave him a small half smile.

"Oh well we'll be back soon this shouldn't take very long at all." She leaned back and he watched as she sat up and stretched.

He watched her pick up her medic leggings and skirt along with her gloves and headband that were lying on the nightstand.

Gaara jumped up, handing her the shirt that they had picked out the night before with her yellow winter travel cloak that all Konoha shinobi wore in winter. She smiled and kissed his cheek before going into the bathroom to change.

He walked out of the room and into his own. Deciding his signature coat was much too recognizable, he slid on a pair of his black pants with a long sleeved black shirt and red strap over vest. He sighed as he grabbed a pouch full of sand and his kunai holder. He was going to be at a slight disadvantage without the full use of his sand but a small pouch was better than nothing. He strapped the pouch to his back and the kunai holder to his hip, casting a glance to his precious gourd that lay against the bed. Finally, he grabbed an extra Konoha traveling cloak that was hanging in the guest room closet. From the looks of it, it had recently been repaired. Reaching into his bag he pulled out a mask he carried for situations where he needed to go unrecognized, slipping this onto the top of his head before leaving his room.

Sakura stood at the front door holding two traveling bags, no doubt full of soldier pills, assorted dried food and other necessities."Ready?" He nodded.

"I'll be waiting at the cherry blossom trees." She smiled and he looked at her neck where the necklace he gave her hung above her clothes. He reached out and held it in his palm. She looked down and smiled as well. He pulled the charm she gave him out from his pocket and showed it to her before stowing it safely back where it came from. She smiled and looked up at him.

"I'll be careful." She whispered. He nodded.

"I know." He bent down and kissed her impulsively before opening the door and jumping up onto the rooftops watching as she moved towards the Hokage tower to report for her mission. He pulled down his mask and moved quickly to the bridge. He needed to be swift to make sure no one saw him. Once he got there he transported quickly to the edge of the woods. He disappeared into the trees and jumped swiftly across them to the cherry blossom tree clearing. He jumped up into one of the larger pine trees on the outskirts of the clearing and waited. About fifteen minutes later her chakra signal appeared in the clearing. He jumped down and smiled at her. She grinned and walked up to him.

"We are going to a village about a day north of here. We can make good time if we hurry. From there we have to investigate and gather information on the group and find their hideout. Then we send a message for backup." He nodded and lifted up the mask. She smiled. "By the way, nice choice picking a mask with very simple markings. If anyone asks I can say you were a shinobi that I requested as an escort." She gestured to the mask that was marked with two red stripes on the cheeks and a red circle on the forehead.

"I knew that the simpler the mask, the easier it is to blend in, I am the Kazekage you know, it's rather a good idea to have at least one such mask on my person at all time." He slid the mask back down. Sakura smiled and motioned towards the forest.

"Let's see if we can't get there faster than they say we can." She held out her hand. He took it in his own. They jumped into the trees and set off at a fast pace. Gaara held tight to her hand and put his hood up. She pulled her hood up as well and continued jumping from the trees.

The trees were covered with snow and were a bit slippery, but despite this, they were making great time. They traveled in silence for the next few hours, only stopping once to eat some of the dried food before continuing.

After a few more hours Sakura looked at Gaara and he nodded from behind the mask. "We should be getting to a neighboring town soon. We can go on foot from there to get a better view at our surroundings. I feel no other chakra movements." She said looking ahead. He nodded again.

"We can get a room at an Inn in the town we are supposed to be staying in. We need a story for being there."

"Well the newlywed's story always seems to work." She murmured and then blushed.

"We will be newlyweds soon anyways." She looked over at him and he suddenly scooped her into his arms never breaking his stride across the trees.

"Gaara don't slow us down!" She said playfully hitting him on the arm. He raised his mask and gave her a smirk.

He slid his mask back down and they continued on their way. Soon the trees began to thin and they jumped onto the ground. She stopped and turned her cloak inside out so only the black lining showed, making it look like a mere traveler's coat and henged her hair to a brown. Gaara followed her example noticing that the cloaks were obviously meant for covert op missions.

They walked casually on the ground for a while until they reached the small town that lay about an hour from the town they were going to be staying. Gaara looked around the town and noticed people staring at him. He forgot that it would probably be weird to see someone wearing a mask walking casually around a town unless they were there on a mission or for a specific purpose. He looked at Sakura and saw that she had noticed it too. She smiled and pulled him towards a medic shop. She walked inside and he followed. The lady at the counter smiled as she walked in and lessened her smile when she saw Gaara's mask. Sakura didn't falter and walked right up to the counter smiling.

"Hello I was wondering if you have any bandages. My husband and I were attacked on the way here by some sort of an animal and I would like to bandage his injuries. He saved me from it. The animal got his face pretty badly so we didn't want to scare any children." She looked at Gaara and hung on his arm like a concerned wife. The lady must have thought his mask was to cover the injuries and gave him a compassionate look.

"Oh you poor things! Of course we have plenty of bandages and some ointment too." She walked over to a shelf and got down a bunch of bandages and ointment. She smiled kindly at them and Sakura gave her the money.

"Thank you." Sakura said and the woman smiled.

"I wish you a speedy recovery! Let me know if you need anything else while you are here in town!" Sakura smiled at her and she waved. Gaara turned to Sakura and they walked out of the store.

"Remind me again why we have bandages?" He said quietly. Sakura smiled at him and kept walking down the street.

"Well it gave us a good story and a reason for you to have a mask on without arousing too much suspicion. If anyone comes looking for us or gets suspicious that lady can help with our cover story by telling them the poor sob story of the young couple that got attacked." Gaara nodded and kept walking. They walked out of the town and kept walking towards the next one. The road was quiet with no other travelers on it. Gaara looked down at Sakura and smiled behind the mask.

 _"Soon we won't have to pretend to be married."_ Sakura looked around and sent out a quick scan of the area with her chakra. Gaara put a hand on her arm and she looked up at him.

"There's no need, I have my sand checking. We'll be fine." She nodded. The town was in sight and they were arriving ahead of schedule. He took her hand again and they walked through the town to the small Inn that lay hidden in the outskirts of the northern edge. The wind was bitter and the snow had started to swirl down again causing Sakura to grit her teeth and circulate her chakra.

She motioned for Gaara to put his arm around her shoulder as they walked into the Inn. This was they really did look like a couple blown in by the storm. Gaara walked with Sakura up to the counter and got them a room without any hassle.

Sakura smiled at the lady manning the front desk and walked down the hall to the room. Gaara opened the door and they walked inside.

It was small; a single queen bed lay in the middle of the room with a bathroom attached and a sofa next to a TV in the corner of the room. Sakura stretched and walked over to the bed sitting down on it and sighing happily. The room was warm. Gaara took off his mask and came over to sit next to her. She smiled and moved the ring around on her finger.

"Tomorrow we can gather information by listening to the townspeople and then try to scout out the area a little bit."

"We can get a good feel of the land and see if there are any possible locations of the rouge's hideout. Then we can investigate the day after." She stood and took the traveling cloak off hanging it on a peg near the door.

Gaara took his off as well and grabbed her arm as she turned around. He pulled her close and, on another impulse, gave her light butterfly kisses down her neck.

They stood there for a moment just breathing each other's scents as they held each other. Gaara pulled back and kissed her softly and sweetly. She answered just as kindly and gently moved her lips with his. She broke the kiss first, smiling as his eyes looked over her face kindly.

She loved those eyes. Turquoise and beautiful, rimmed with black setting them off perfectly. He looked at her own eyes and got lost in the rich emerald. They both smiled and sat back down on the bed. His own fingers wrapped themselves around Sakura's and all he could think was, _"She's mine forever and always."_

End of Chapter 22


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapters are embarrassingly short here...read on they get longer.

Sakura watched as Gaara's eyes ran over every curve of her face. She giggled when he traced her nose and then moved to look at her lips. "Rumor was that you had the most beautiful lips in all of Konoha."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his odd and unexpected statement. "Rumors from whom?"

"Shinobi who visited Konoha." He stated simply and continued his appraisal of her face.

She soon grew tired of this and laid her head on his chest, stroking his arm absentmindedly.

He was much more affectionate now that they were engaged. Part of her knew that she drove all of this physical contact initially but sometimes Gaara surprised her.

It was as if something in him needed to remind him that she was his and his alone by sometimes kissing and caressing and admiring. It was as if he suddenly realized that this type of contact wasn't something that needed to be avoided. Sakura, of course, didn't mind this one bit. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

Outside the snow fell in large flakes. The wind howled and swirled around the small Inn. Sakura shivered a little at the cold air in the room and snuggled into Gaara's warm figure. He held her close and stroked her hair gently as she closed her eyes. "Happy New Year Gaara." He smiled.

"Happy New Year Sakura." He closed his eyes as well, letting his sand patrol the room. Her soft breathing against his chest and the weight of her head resting on him lulled him into a sense of security and serenity it truly was the best way to start the new year.

Sakura's mind was no longer focused on the mission. He was like a relaxing pill. Normally on missions like this she would be antsy and uneasy sleeping. Now with Gaara's strong arms around her, her worries seemed to melt away. She smiled again and let herself succumb to the powerful urge to sleep.

_She opened her eyes to see herself in her room lying on her bed. Inner sat next to her smiling happily._

**_"Aw how adorable! I can't believe we are engaged to this hotty before the year was even out! We did good, Ino-pig is going to be sooo jealous! Especially since Choji hasn't even asked her out yet!"_ ** _Inner chimed in breaking Sakura's quiet thoughts. She smiled at her. For once she agreed with Inner. Inner loved to talk to her in her dreams and Sakura was already expecting to see her. It was a weird quirk left over from her childhood that she hadn't seemed to get rid of. Perhaps it was because she was a genjutsu type? Maybe it was a bloodline trait or she was just crazy._

_"I can't wait to see her reaction too but we have to wait." Inner pouted._

**_"Come on let's just get her to notice first!"_ ** _Inner whined. Sakura crossed her arms and laid back on the bed in her dream._

_"Inner, no. We don't know how this will affect the Suna and Konoha relationship. Gaara is the Kazekage after all and I am the Hokage's apprentice. It will be a big shift for me to leave my village. The political implications are high." She looked at Inner who sighed and nodded._

**_"Logical and sound reasoning as usual. I know that it's a big deal. Besides we both know that we are going to be happy and that is really what matters. Since that has been guaranteed we can focus more on the external affects of this."_ ** _Inner said nodding and settling down. Sakura smiled._

_"I knew you could be reasonable sometimes Inner." She smiled and Inner threw a pillow at her._

**_"Oh just get back to our fiancé!"_ ** _She smiled and Sakura smiled back as Inner faded away._

_She felt herself slipping into another place. It was warm and she was laying on something soft. She felt something cool brush against her face and a sweet scent fill her nostrils._

_She opened her eyes and saw a blue sky with white clouds. As she sat up she noticed that she was in a field, the grass brushing gently against her legs. She smiled and ran her hand through its soft tufts. The breeze that blew gently on her skin was a warm summer breeze and it made her smile. A cherry blossom tree stood behind her, its petals blowing off in the breeze. She watched as one landed next to her._

_With a smile she picked it up and rolled it softly in her fingers, before seeing a shadow come over her. She turned and looked up to find Gaara standing above her, his eyes gazing softly and lovingly at her. She smiled up at him as he sat down next to her. She was confused as to if they were married yet and where she was but she was happy she was there._

_"Sakura, I knew I'd find you here." He smiled and took the blossom from her hand placing it behind her ear. He smiled and took her hand. "Naruto said that you had returned from your medical visit to the village. I'm sorry I did not meet you at the gate." He kissed her head and she smiled._

_"So I just got back from a mission. I'm guessing Naruto is the Hokage so this must be in the future. Ok well that's good this is nice." She liked this dream. He ran his fingers over her hand and kissed each one. She giggled and he looked up at her with a smirk._

_"How are you feeling?" She smiled._

_"I feel fine. I'm happy you are here it's so pretty." She gestured to the beautiful green grass and the cherry blossom tree next to them. He looked out where she pointed and then back to her._

_"I'm glad you feel well. I had a discussion with Naruto and he agreed with me that you can't go on any more visits. I can't have you both getting hurt." He looked at her apologetically and Sakura became confused._

_"No missions? Wait you both?" She thought. Sakura felt a small hit coming from her abdomen and looked down to see a definite bump sticking out between her hips. "Wait I'm pregnant?" She thought alarmed. She used her chakra to scan it and Gaara watched as she put her glowing green hand over her bump and monitored it._

_"Sakura is something wrong?" His tone was alarmed. She turned to him and saw it in his eyes and facial features. She looked at his eyes and then nodded._

_"I'm fine we are both fine." She smiled and laughed. Gaara looked more confused but less worried._

_"I'm glad. You have to stay safe now. Both of you." Sakura smiled and took Gaara's hand he looked down as she put it on her belly._

Sakura felt herself coming back to consciousness as someone called her name softly. "Sakura." She opened her eyes and saw Gaara lying next to her observing her. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She nodded.

"I had a dream last night." She watched as he regarded her passively.

"What about?" She smiled.

"Just the future. Naruto was the Hokage." Gaara watched her expression and then smiled softly.

"Then it was an accurate dream." Sakura grinned and giggled.

"One that will hopefully come true when he's not quite so awful at political etiquette." Gaara's face contorted into one of mild amusement for a moment as Sakura stretched.

"We were back in Konoha, you were talking to me."

"What about?" Sakura looked over at him and then smirked.

"I'll tell you someday." He gave her a quizzical expression but pursued this line of questioning no further. He wouldn't pry into her dreams.

End of Chapter 23


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scouting mission, lingerie, what more could you want?

Gaara walked across the room, grabbing his bag and pulling out a map of the area.

He laid it out on the bed as they both turned back to the mission at hand. "So we are in this Inn." Sakura pointed to the Inn on the map before tracing a road through the town. "We can go into stores and listen to people talk. Then we can meet up here at around eleven. Afterwards we can scout out the surrounding areas based on the information we obtain." Gaara nodded, focusing on the mission instead of her.

"We will need a reason to be in the stores." He pointed out and Sakura smiled.

"We can be shopping for clothes. We didn't bring any spares and it would look more believable if we had civilian clothing as well as the clothes we came here in. Besides, people would get suspicious if we wore only traveling cloaks and the same outfits. Those denote us as shinobi a little too well. Aside from that, my medic skirt could be recognized by others." Gaara nodded and stood up.

"We should walk into town together and then split up to make our story more believable." Sakura nodded and subconsciously fiddled with her engagement ring that still lay on her finger. Gaara noticed and took her hand in his before giving her a small smile. Sakura returned it and laced her fingers through his as he pulled his mask down over his face and she henged her hair once more.

Sakura left the room first, locking the door and performing a series of hand seals before they both began walking down the hall to the lobby.

"Good morning! Are you two heading out?" The Innkeeper called smiling kindly to them.

"Yes we are going to look around the town." Sakura said smiling. The Innkeeper nodded and smiled back.

"Bundle up it's quite a storm out there!" Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Thank you we will!" She waved to the Innkeeper as she walked out the door with Gaara still holding tightly onto her hand.

Immediately they found themselves assaulted with bitter cold. The Innkeeper was right, the snow stung their cheeks as they stepped into it and Sakura immediately pulled her hood up around her face to try to keep it from hitting her.

Gaara did the same, trying his best to shield Sakura from the harsh wind. They hurried to the town, parting ways and walking into separate clothing stores.

Sakura didn't exactly know what store she walked into but was just glad to get out of the harsh snow. She looked up and saw a sign above one of the counters. "Lingerie half price! Sleepwear and pants 30% off! Sale on all clothing!" She cringed at the mention of lingerie but was happy that she walked into a female clothing store. Even happier knowing that it was all on sale. There was a girl at the counter with black hair and a kindly face. She smiled at Sakura and walked over to her.

"Hello my name is Aya, can I help you find anything?" She smiled and Sakura nodded.

"My husband and I were just married and I wanted some new clothing for traveling. We were attacked by an animal on the way here and our bags were absolutely destroyed in the attack." Sakura gave her what she hoped was a pitiful look, encouraged when she saw Aya's face soften.

"Oh you poor thing! Of course I can help you find some clothing!" She took Sakura over to a changing room and told her to sit down. "I will bring you some clothes I think you might like and then we can go from there." Sakura thanked her and sat on the couch in the changing room.

Aya soon returned holding a bundle of assorted clothing in her hands. She handed Sakura the clothes and sat outside of the changing room while Sakura tried them on.

The clothing was simple, some were sweaters and long sleeved shirts, others had shorter sleeves with a style that Tenten would have liked. Aya praised each one she tried on and pushed her into the dressing room exclaiming she had more things for her to try.

Sakura would have normally hated shopping but in the moment she was enjoying being told what to try on and not having to search for it herself. Some of the clothes were rather nice and Sakura had no problem deciding which she liked or didn't. Aya had an eye for clothing that much was clear.

Aya returned to the changing room a few moments later with a huge bundle of red and a smaller bunch of what appeared to be lace. Sakura didn't get a good look at it before Aya asked her to pull off her top and made her step out of her pants.

Sakura shivered, blushing a little as she stood there in her plain black underwear and compression bra that were the standard kunoichi handouts. Aya mumbled something that Sakura didn't quite catch because, as she turned around, Aya yanked the mass of red over her head. When she got it on Aya gasped.

Sakura looked down in awe, finding herself dressed in a stunning floor length red dress. When she turned and faced the mirrors she couldn't help but gasp at herself.

"Oh, it's gorgeous!" She exclaimed looking at it.

Aya beamed and nodded, tying the sash around the waist into a bow at the back. The bow settled onto small ruffles that ran down the back of the dress. The cloth hugged her skin and caressed it, showing off her curves and toned body in a way that Ino would have loved. Her regular clothing certainly never did _that_. The dress also had a V neck cut that made Sakura regret having only standard issue underwear with her. It certainly was distracting to look at the ugly black garment under such a beautiful dress.

There was a slit in the side of the dress that had ruffles along its edge, the slit ending near her knee. The sleeves were off the shoulder and showed her milky white skin and neck against the bright red of the dress perfectly. Sakura caught her breath when she saw the mark Gaara gave her on her neck obviously visible. She could see for the first time that it was a tiny Kanji for love and couldn't help but wonder how he managed to do that. She started to panic for fear Aya would see it.

Sakura immediately became nervous before realizing that Aya most likely would think it was merely a tattoo or some sort of marking. Not wanting to risk anything, Sakura noticed a black strip of lace lying next to her on the couch and quickly grabbed it, tying it around her neck in a bow covering her mark. Aya turned her around the minute she finished tying it.

"Oh that's a wonderful addition to the look! It sets it off perfectly!" She looked her up and down and frowned at the sports bra. "Now about that bra and those boring panties…" Sakura looked at her in slight dread as she picked up the mass of multicolored lace.

She realized in a wave of horror that what she thought was scrap, was actually a bunch of lingerie. Aya picked up a lacy bra and held it up to Sakura. "Put this on and we will be able to see the dress' true beauty." She walked out of the room and left Sakura staring at the lacy garment she held in her hand.

She had tried on lingerie before, at Ino's request, but never had she actually worn it for a purpose other than once on a loathsome seduction mission where she was Ino's shadow. Sakura pulled off her standard issue bra and pulled on the new lingerie, noticing immediately that it accented her breasts rather than merely holding them as all of her other bras did. She pulled the dress back over her shoulders and immediately noticed the difference. It really did look better.

"Aya you are right, it does look better." Aya smiled triumphantly and came back into the room to talk to her more about spicing up her love life with the lingerie they had, making Sakura blush heavily.

She blushed even more when Aya disappeared and then quickly reappeared with a black corset with red ribbon ending in a bow that would rest on her chest. The matching panties had lace on the edges and were boy shorts. They were relatively tame compared to how the corset looked. At least it covered everything.

Sakura resisted the urge to bolt when Aya insisted that she needed to try it on. She pushed them into Sakura's hands and left her in the changing room.

Now Sakura was comfortable with most things, but this crossed the line into a completely new territory for her. She lifted up the corset and took a steadying breath as she took off the red dress. She slid off the lacey bra with ease and undid the laces on the corset before putting it on. It was skin tight, but not uncomfortable. The way it pushed up her breasts gave them more volume and was rather interesting in that aspect. She tied the ribbon into the bow before sliding on the boy shorts.

When she turned and looked at herself in the mirror she almost didn't recognize herself. She had curves that much was always clear to her, but this, this was something else entirely!

Sakura was blushing furiously as Aya stuck her head back in the room.

"Oh wow! You look gorgeous!" She smiled and clapped her hands together. Sakura blushed a little more as Aya circled her. "You will definitely make your husband happy in this!" She smiled as Sakura felt the tips of her ears begin to burn.

Aya shook her head and smiled. "Yep you are definitely getting this!" She smiled and left Sakura to change back into her regular clothes. Sakura pulled on her bra and panties before sliding on her red high collar shirt and taking off the lace around her throat that was still covering the mark. When she had finished getting dressed, she pulled back on her cloak and brought her clothes to the register. Aya smiled and began to ring them up Sakura took this opportunity to get some information.

"So Aya is this area considered safe? Are there any gangs around here?" Aya looked at her with a surprised look and then laughed before smiling a little.

"Well there is a rumored gang around here but they don't bother us much. We don't really talk about it but they have never hurt anyone from town." She smiled at Sakura and nudged her. "If you are thinking of settling down here try and find a house in the upper district. Better for the future kids." She winked and Sakura nodded smiling.

 _"So there is a gang around here, which confirms something. Also she said they have never hurt anyone from town which makes me think that they are practicing extortion in some other way."_ She smiled as Aya gave her the bags of clothes and wished her luck with her new life.

Sakura called her thanks and paid for the clothes before walking back out into the bone chilling storm. She looked at the time and noticed immediately that it was only ten thirty. She could get back to the hotel and hide the lingerie and dress in a scroll before Gaara got back.

She sprinted through the town, the snow stinging her cheeks and making her skin feel like it was on fire. She walked into the hotel rather quickly and pulled down her hood, shaking her hair a little as droplets fell from her bangs. Her clothes were still dry, concealed in the plastic bags they were being carried in.

Her cloak was made for keeping out snow and rain so she was dry as well. She nodded to the lady at the front desk and walked down the hall to her room, undoing the chakra guards before entering the room. She hid the lingerie and dress in a scroll and was just hiding them in her bag when she heard someone clear their throat from the other side of the room. She jumped up and saw Gaara as he leaned against the wall. Immediately her heart jumped in her chest as she wondered how long he had been standing there.

"Did you find everything you needed?" He questioned. She nodded, sighing in relief at his normal expression.

"I also got some information. What about you?" He shrugged and held up a bag full of clothes.

"I got some information as well."

"Well then you go first, then I'll tell you what I found out." She sat down on the edge of the bed and he sat next to her.

"First of all our suspicions are confirmed, there is a gang in the area. The lady at the store was reluctant to speak about it. From the way she was avoiding the subject they probably have threatened to kill or hurt anyone who reveals them. She mentioned that they have never hurt anyone from town, which makes me believe that they have made an example from outsiders instead." Gaara nodded.

"I received the same information but the man did let it slip that the Northern woods is not a safe area for settling down. It might be a good place to start." He smiled as Sakura nodded. "So what were you doing when I walked in that you didn't want me to see? Or did I just startle you." Sakura sweat dropped and waved her hands in front of her.

"Oh nothing just organizing! You just startled me!" She smiled and he kept his face passive.

_"Add that to the list of things to remember, she's not great at lying to me."_

End of Chapter 24


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara's getting better with affection.

"So do you want to start looking in the forest today?" Sakura asked, standing up and pulling the map out of her bag once again. Gaara shook his head.

"Let's wait until tomorrow. There is no point looking in this weather, we will just get lost. Perhaps by tomorrow the storm will have subsided." Sakura nodded and put the map on the small coffee table in front of the sofa. She pulled out a pencil and circled the forest along with the upper district. Gaara watched as she did this, his brow furrowing as he noticed the second circled area."The upper district? Isn't that where the lord lives?" Sakura nodded.

"Tsunade told me that he has been oddly quiet for the past few months and has not left the compound he lives in. The lady at the store told me that it was a safe place to settle which makes me believe that the gang has seized control of it and made the lord give them money or something in exchange for protection of his compound and area." Gaara looked at her with a questioning look. "It's just a theory, maybe a bit farfetched but still." She stated, a bit defensively.

"It would be worth it to check it out as well." Gaara murmured, glancing at the map as Sakura nodded. With one glance he could tell she was in full mission mode. He liked seeing her this way. "Would you like to go and get some lunch?" He questioned standing as he pulled on his mask.

"Sure, we can try and get some more information." Gaara nodded and followed her out the door.

They passed the secretary and were almost to the door when he took her hand in his. Sakura sighed and then looked over at him, loosening up a little bit.

"This is a mission you know. One that _you_ aren't even supposed to be on." She gave him an exasperated look as he simply squeezed her hand slightly. "You're terrible." She shook her head and smiled before pulling the door to the hotel open and stepping into the harsh storm.

"You know, I wonder if anything is even open in this weather!" Sakura shouted over the wailing wind. Gaara nodded and pulled his hood closer to his face. He was suddenly very grateful for the mask, as it covered his face from the storm.

Sakura burrowed into his side, trying to stay close so as not to lose him. He held her hand tighter and pushed forward. In about fifteen minutes they were stumbling into a small bar on the west side of town.

"Look what the storm blew in!" The bartender called at them from the other side of the counter. The few people sitting at the counter looked at them as the bartender laughed. "Come on in and we'll get you something to warm you up!" He smiled at them as Sakura took off her cloak, hanging it up on the peg near the door. Gaara took off his cloak as well and hung it next to Sakura's. She gave the bartender a smile and nodded to him as they crossed the room and sat in a booth near the bar counter. The bartender called to a girl inside of the kitchen and she walked over to their table and asked them what they would like.

"Some pork ramen for me please." Sakura said and the waitress nodded. She then turned to Gaara and asked him what he would like.

"The same as her please." She nodded and walked back into the kitchen. Sakura smiled at Gaara and he nodded back to her. They had been lucky to find this place. There were people here and on top of that, it was a bar and restaurant, one of the best places to pick up the local gossip.

Sakura sat quietly for a moment, giving small glances to the men sitting at the counter. They had been glancing between herself and Gaara and Sakura knew it was only a matter of time before they called them over, or moved to speak with them. A few more moments passed before one of the men did exactly that.

"Hey why don't you two come on over here near the kitchen and warm up!" One of the men called to them as Sakura gave Gaara a small smile. Gaara nodded to the men as he sat next to them, letting Sakura sit on his other side.

"You two are obviously not from around here. What I want to know is how two young people like yourselves ended up here in this weather. Are you shinobi? Where exactly is it you two are you from?" The bartender leaned against the counter and waited as the others at the counter looked at them, interested in the mysterious newcomers.

"I lived in a small town not too far from here. I worked in a shop and he was a town guard." Sakura started, smiling at the bartender. The man nodded and turned to Gaara.

"So are you her brother?" He asked setting down a glass. Gaara shook his head.

"No, she's my wife; we were married two days ago." The men all laughed and congratulated them both.

"Now as to my first question, what brings two newlyweds like you to a humble town like ours in weather such as this?" The man next to Gaara asked.

"Well we are passing through on our way to Grass Country. We weren't aware of the weather heading this way and were taken a bit off guard. We were attacked on the way here by an animal when we took to the woods for shelter and he was injured protecting me. The mask is to protect him from the wind and to shield his eyes until he heals. When we got here we got medical treatment but then the storm slowed us down." Sakura latched on to Gaara's arm for a moment and gave him a sad look. The bartender shook his head and handed her a glass of water. She thanked him and he gave her a sympathetic look.

"That must have been terrifying. You are certainly lucky your husband was there to protect you." One of the men chimed in as Sakura had to stop herself from retorting that she was, in fact, perfectly capable of fending for herself. Remembering she was supposed to be a normal civilian, she resorted to nodding and leaning slightly against Gaara.

The bartender shook his head and then turned to them. "Well I'm sure it's not something you want to discuss. By the way, my name is Iori and these old codgers are Kisho, Kai and Rozu." The men at the counter waved to them and smiled as Iori looked back at Sakura and Gaara. "So what are your names?"

"My name is Yuri Kensho." Sakura said cheerfully.

"I'm Gen Kensho." Gaara stated as Sakura nodded her approval. Iori smiled.

"Nice to meet you Yuri, and Gen. I'm glad to hear that you are on the mend Gen." Gaara nodded.

"Thank you." Iori nodded and set two bowls of ramen in front of them.

Sakura thanked him and began to eat as the conversation between the men started up again.

Gaara lifted up his mask just far enough that he could put food into his mouth. He finished rather quickly and watched Sakura eat while taking in the bar and the people in it. Kai and Kisho talked to Iori about the storm and hoped that it would blow over soon. Gaara and Sakura listened as they talked, learning that the village was rather poor as of late and that the trade had been rather slow. They were rather uninterested by this but were immediately brought back into the conversation when Kai mentioned having to pay extra taxes.

"They make us pay too much!" Kisho agreed.

"They took away my best pig and said it was required to make up the taxes I was late on." Rozu said bitterly. Iori shook his head and cleaned off the glass he was holding.

"Things have gotten quite expensive lately. They taxed me almost double for the sake imports. The farmers selling me sake locally just can't put up with the demand, and besides, the best sake comes from the north." Kai nodded at this fact and then immediately shook his head in disgust.

"Are the taxes really that bad here?" Gaara questioned as Iori shrugged.

"They aren't usually too bad just lately they have been a bit high." Kisho laughed bitterly.

"A LOT higher than usual, especially for those of us that own farms." Rozu corrected. Iori shrugged.

"It is winter; the taxes always go up to make up for the lack of farming industry." Kisho and Kai nodded but Rozu just shook his head.

"If you two are going to settle down here you'd better have a lot of money and be able to afford a house in the upper district or you'll find the taxes to be almost unbearable in the winter." Iori and Kai sensed the hostility Rozu was adding to the atmosphere and quickly switched to a different topic.

"So did you live anywhere near Konoha?" Iori said looking at Sakura. She panicked a little thinking that by some odd chance he might recognize her. She had henged her hair brown but wondered if her eyes had given her away. They weren't easy to forget. She shook her head.

"I visited there a few times but we were a little over a day's journey away." Iori nodded.

"The Godaime Hokage said she would try to get the Daimyo to lower the taxes on us smaller villages. I hope she does, they are getting a bit excessive." Kai muttered. Sakura nodded.

"We wanted the same thing, maybe Gen can write a letter to her. He has friends that live in Konoha and they can probably talk to her for you." Iori smiled.

"Thank you, that would be a great help." Sakura nodded and Gaara did as well. A few more minutes of idle conversation passed between them before Gaara stood up and looked at Sakura, as if to say they were done there. She understood immediately and stood up as well, commanding the attention of the men.

"We had best be going, thank you very much for the food!" Sakura waved to Iori as he smiled at her.

"Here take this for dinner so you won't have to venture out again." He handed them a bundle of cloth with two boxes inside. Sakura smiled and took them before paying him for their meal.

"You are very kind people, thank you. I hope everything goes well for you all." Gaara bowed a little as the men smiled and waved goodbye. They retrieved their cloaks from the pegs by the door and then ventured back into the bitter storm.

Gaara took Sakura's hand in his own and they hurried back to the hotel with only the streetlights to guide them. When they got to the forest and unlit road leading up to the Inn they almost strayed from the path. Gaara, who was used to the sandstorms of the desert, knew which way to go and led her through the storm.

 _"Thank the gods Gaara is here or I would be lost!"_ Sakura thought holding on tightly to Gaara's arm as they fought through the storm and deep snow. They eventually had to resort to walking with chakra across the snow, for it got too deep to trudge through.

Eventually, tired and cold, they stumbled into the Inn. They walked quickly down the hall and into the room where Sakura promptly turned up the heat and huddled next to Gaara on the couch under a warm comforter from the bed. He turned on the TV and put in a movie. Sakura smiled and settled down into the warmth cuddling next to Gaara. They sat like this for a while watching the movie.

"You'd better not go anywhere anytime soon." He growled as Sakura shifted on the couch. She laughed.

"Oh and what would you do if I did?" She poked his chest challengingly. He smirked back at her.

"I would make you stay." She raised an eyebrow at him and laughed again.

"Oh really and how exactly would you do that?" She reached up and traced the scar on his forehead her eyes challenged him. She began to move backwards, smirking as she moved to stand up. In a sudden blur of movement Gaara had his hand gripping her arm and his sand curled around her waist and other arm freezing her movement. She laughed as he smirked.

"What were you saying? That you would move?" He smirked devilishly at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well your sand was not a fair move Gaara." She turned her head away from him but he reached over and tilted her chin back towards him with his free hand.

"I think it was very fair." He smirked again and leaned down, kissing her before pushing her back onto the couch. She sat down without complaining and he sat next to her as she smiled and curled up next to him again.

"I wasn't going to go anywhere anyways." She whispered and he smiled.

"I know." He turned the movie back on, letting Sakura lean on him as it played.

 _"I don't want to go back to Konoha and hide this but I guess we will have to, it's just, I know when we get back we have to be careful so nobody knows we are engaged until he makes the official announcement."_ Sakura thought as she watched the movie. With a small smile she pulled Gaara's hand into her own as he glanced at her for a moment and smiled.

 _"I made the right decision. She will be a perfect fit for Suna's leadership. What was it the council always droned on about? Something about finding a strong partner to support you in your decisions? Well I think they meant themselves, but Sakura fits much better than those old morons."_ He shook his head lightly, watching the movie as he thought about Suna and their future with a small smile present on his usually expressionless face.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real mission begins. Keep in mind I wrote all of this like 4 years ago and sort of updated it.

Gaara heard soft breathing as he shut off the movie and noticed that, at some point during the movie Sakura had fallen asleep on him. Gently, he moved out from under the blanket, picking her up and placing her on the bed.

She wrapped her arms around his arm as he shifted into the other side of the bed. She smiled a bit in her sleep and pulled him even closer. Gaara smiled at her gently and kissed her hair softly so as not to wake her.

He put his arm around her small frame and thought of being able to hold her for the rest of his life. He closed his eyes and listened to her soft breathing until the steadiness lulled him to sleep. He still wasn't accustomed to dreams and was a bit confused when he opened his eyes to see he was in Sakura's house again.

_He saw a fire in the fire place and a large Christmas tree in the corner with gifts under it. The whole house smelled like Christmas cookies, which for him was a very unusual smell. His own home always smelt of sand and sun and occasionally of burned food._

_This was definitely a better smell. What made it even better was when he saw a figure in the kitchen moving around. He walked into the kitchen and saw a pink haired figure bending down to get a batch of cookies out of the oven. He smiled and walked over to her, hugging her waist as she stood up with the cookies. She laughed and set them on a hot pad on the counter before looking at him._

_"You know you shouldn't hug someone unexpectedly when they are near an oven." She wagged her finger at him reproachfully and he smiled._

_"Well if it's my wife and she already knows I'm in the room then its ok." He smiled and slid his hand into hers. She laughed and rested her head on his chest. With a small smile, he rested his cheek against her hair._

_She giggled as he spun her around and then let her spin away from him. She let go of his hand and took off her apron, hanging it on a peg in the kitchen before putting the cookies on a plate. Gaara tried to take one for sport but she hit his hand and picked up the plate holding it away from him._

_"Uh-uh! No cookies until after dinner!" She grinned and put them on the table in the living room before bringing a ham out from the oven and setting it on the table. He sat down at the table with an amused look as Sakura sat down at the other end of the table before smiling at him."Itadakimasu!" He smiled._

_"Itadakimasu." He replied, beginning to eat the ham as everything turned slightly white._

Gaara felt himself opening his eyes as a loud noise pierced his dream. He groaned and rolled over to hit the alarm clock. He saw Sakura's emerald eyes flutter open as she yawned.

"What a nice way to wake up." She murmured sleepily. He chuckled and held her against him for a moment.

"I agree with you, but unfortunately we need to get a move on so we can continue our mission and be back soon. Then we can make plans."

"The storm seems to have blown over; I don't hear the wind anymore. Let me check and be sure." She walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds, letting in a momentarily blinding light as the two blinked for a moment. Sure enough, the snow lay quiet and still on the ground and she nodded. "Yes it's only lightly snowing, we can move onto the second part of the mission."

He nodded. "I'll only be a minute, I want to shower." She nodded as he grabbed his shinobi clothes and mask before walking into the bathroom.

Sakura heard the water running and sat on the couch, leaning over and studying the map with intensity. After deciding she had memorized what was important, she took off her clothes from the day before and slid on her longer medic pants and usual red shirt before grabbing her pack and leg wrap. She slid on her kunai holder and grabbed her cloak sliding it on and performing a once-over to be sure she had everything.

They were most likely going to run into some sort of trouble on this mission and it would be best to be prepared for anything. Today was purely observational and searching for the gang, if they really were near, engaging them was not a desirable outcome.

Sakura sighed, remembering her former recon missions with Naruto as Gaara returned from the bathroom.

"That did not sound like a good sigh." Sakura whipped around, having not heard Gaara return into the room.

"It was more of an 'I am hoping this goes better than my recon missions with Mr. I-am-the-best-and-you'd-better-believe-it' type sigh." Gaara smiled at Sakura's small jab at Naruto. The blonde was really not suited to recon missions.

"Well if that's all, then I suppose we should decide where exactly we are going to start our search." He tossed his towel aside, shaking his head slightly before putting on his mask. His hair was slightly damp and all Sakura could think about was the day she ran into him after the shower at her house. She blushed a little and thought he didn't catch it by the way he grabbed his cloak off the hook by the door.

He smiled behind his mask. He most certainly did catch the blush she was now trying so hard to hide.

"Sakura do you want to check the northern part of the woods today? I think it's our best bet." She nodded and handed him a transmitter necklace and earpiece.

"You can talk to me through this that way we can split up and communicate with each other." He nodded and grabbed his packs, strapping them to his back and waist before putting on the cloak. He took her hand in his before walking out of the room and sealing the door with a hand seal so that nobody could go snooping around if they were being watched.

They walked outside, passing the smiling receptionist once more, before heading outside to the woods behind the hotel. Gaara nodded to her once they were out of sight of any windows.

Sakura returned the nod and promptly jumped into the trees still covered in fresh snow. Both of them were trained well enough to know not to leave footprints in the snow and were using chakra to stay above it. Sakura had learned when she was much younger and Gaara merely used his sand to lighten his steps and erase any tracks they were leaving behind. Sakura nodded to him as she scanned the trees around them and he turned on his communicator.

"I'll take the right side and look for any signs of a base. Look for genjutsu as well as they will probably be covering up their hideout." Sakura said through the receiver.

"I'll report in fifteen minutes if I find nothing." Sakura gave him one last look and tapped her transmitter twice before turning and disappearing into the trees.

He watched as her cloak disappeared as she jumped away before turning to move away from the direction she was headed. He sent his sand to scan for any chakra signals as he moved through the trees. He couldn't find any but he didn't expect to. They were most likely smart enough to mute their chakra signatures. Or at the very least, have a jutsu in place to dispel them or mask them when inside the compound.

He continued in his circuit for a few minutes, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area with both his eyes and what little sand he carried with him. After a few minutes of finding nothing, his receiver crackled and he stopped moving.

"Gaara…..I found it…..can you find me?" The receiver was a bit staticy which meant she was probably far away. Gaara thanked his luck that she was his mate. He could sense her chakra without her giving off too much and knew that he could find her.

"Yes I'll be there soon." Sakura heard his voice crackle out of the receiver and smiled. She sank against the back of the tree and started to analyze the situation, making sure she was sufficiently hidden from view.

The hideout was a small building that would be mistaken for a shack if it wasn't for the ninja walking around it in a methodical circle. There were only two on the outside but they carried large weapons, meaning that they probably were hired hands that only had basic training and relied on their strength. No doubt the rest of the hideout was under ground. Most of the ones she had found before were. She sighed slightly. It would be easy to crack the ground open, that could give them an edge and take out most of the ninja, but that would defeat the purpose of their mission. _"Would have been like cracking a wasps nest anyways. You kill some of them with the initial hit, but then they all come swarming out in the aftermath."_ She sighed again and continued to monitor the two ninja, waiting patiently for Gaara to arrive.

Gaara rushed through the trees silent as a falling leaf. His sand moved in front of him and he knew he had to follow it. He felt his chakra pull to the left and followed immediately. Soon he saw a small shack with two ninja guarding it. He felt a slight tug left and saw Sakura, incredibly concealed on the tree across from him. "What's the plan?" He whispered into the receiver.

"We are going to go back to the Inn and send for the ANBU team. Then I have to act as a medic." Gaara nodded and they jumped away, luckily unnoticed, back to the Inn. When they arrived, Sakura pulled out a scroll and quickly wrote down the information. She told Gaara to move into the bathroom and hide his chakra, and he did. She took out another scroll Tsunade gave her and summoned a tiny Katsuyu. She appeared and took the scroll in her mouth swallowing it and nodding to Sakura before disappearing. Gaara sat on the couch and laid his head back.

"So now we wait." He stated simply. Sakura nodded and sat down next to him, taking off her kunai holder and pack, laying them on the table next to Gaara's.

"Knowing them, they will be here within a few hours. In which case you need to be quiet and secretive. Remember, you are an escort I requested. Hopefully it will be ANBU that won't recognize you. Try not to talk very much and you will be fine. That's part of the reason I made you hide from Katsuyu, so she wouldn't tell Tsunade-sama. I will have to tell her when I get back but I'll deal with it then." He stared at her from behind his mask and turned his head towards her, taking it off and throwing it onto the table.

"You know I'm rather good at lying low. I have been doing it for most of my life." He smiled at her. "We might be home before the end of the week." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"I hope so, I promised Naruto I'd hang out with him and the rest of my friends soon." Gaara chuckled.

"I might regret asking this, but could I join you?" She smiled and bowed her head a little in mock respect.

"Of course! I can't deny the Kazekage. After all I am but a humble apprentice to the Hokage." She smiled and he shook his head lightly.

"You are already much more than that. Everyone already holds you in the highest regard. I think, when we are married, that you will be held in higher regard then even Tsunade. The people of Suna already admire you so much for helping to save me and for nearly single-handedly saving Kankuro. They think of you as a hero. It will certainly be easier for you to gain their love than it was for me. After all, I used to terrorize them in my younger days. They have never been afraid of you and would certainly warm up to you faster." Sakura shook her head.

"It's my duty as a medic to help people. They have no reason to hold me in high regard." Gaara gave her a stern look.

"You are too modest Sakura. You are incredible. You have already gained Tsunade's trust and mine as well along with the respect of many villages." He looked at her with his dark rimmed eyes and she saw the truth in his words. She sighed and looked at their hands entwined together on her lap.

"I've lost people too you know. I couldn't save them in time or I wasn't strong enough to help. You know, you remember how weak I was. People got hurt and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't help I was so helpless myself how could I possibly help others? Then I was forced to watch as they slipped through my fingers." Gaara looked at her and saw sadness in her eyes he had only seen once before. He recognized it immediately as the pain one gained when they lost someone dear to them in battle. Suddenly her expression changed to one of determination.

"Nobody can change the past. You learn from your mistakes and move on and become stronger for it." Gaara watched and then spoke.

"I didn't do that for the longest time but Naruto taught me to. He told me to move on and do what was best for my people. That is how I became the leader I am to them now. You have more potential than even Tsunade in terms of skills. You have reached her level already and, in time, you will completely surpass her. So trust me when I say you have won the hearts of the villages and their respect as well. But more than that, you've won my trust and respect." Sakura looked at him in awe and was about to kiss him when he suddenly stood, pulling on his mask and disappearing behind the door.

Sakura gave him a strange look, but quickly jumped up as well as she heard a small pop coming from her scroll. She grabbed her pack and kunai holder and put them on before looking at the table where Katsuyu had appeared.

"Sakura-san the ANBU are waiting for you outside, they were a patrol that was nearby. They said to meet them in the forest in the tallest spruce."

"Thank you Katsuyu you can go now."

"Hai Sakura-san." She disappeared and Gaara slid out from behind the door.

"Well let's go, they are waiting." She smiled at Gaara and he nodded.

They left the Inn and turned down the road, acting like a happy couple. They held hands and walked in close proximity. To any people who looked at them, they were just a happy couple enjoying the snow. It would have been nice for them as well, if they hadn't been on a mission. Sakura laughed and smiled at him as she scanned the area with her chakra.

They turned down an alley and slipped into the shadows of the building before moving silently towards the forest, Gaara flanking Sakura's side in a way that denoted that she was the superior. They reached the tree line and jumped across the nearest trees before landing on a high spruce that stuck out among the rest.

The ANBU were not visible until they recognized Sakura's chakra signature. Without a sound, four appeared on the branches of the wide tree, staring at Sakura in a semi-circle. She hated it when they did that.

"Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama said we were to gain information from you." The man directly to her left bowed slightly as the three others flanked him on the wide branch. "We were uniformed of your associate. Is he a local shinobi or town guard?" He looked at Gaara who moved closer to Sakura. She looked back at Gaara as if she had forgotten he was there.

"Ah yes, I requested an escort here and received one. His name is Gen." The ANBU captain nodded and knelt onto the branch before producing a scroll. He unrolled it and performed a few hand signs, causing a three dimensional map of the forest to appear. Sakura and Gaara knelt down as well as the other ANBU stood guard.

"We are in this spot here. Do you know the exact location of the hideout?" Sakura nodded and pointed to a spot not too far from where they were.

"Two outside guards; heavily armed but appear to use only brute force to fight. I think a long range attack would be most effective. The rest of the hideout is underground, or so we assume. I don't know how large it is, but it will probably be guarded heavily. The only way to get in so far is the front entrance. The hideout had a trail that led to the town's upper district. I believe the lord might be involved in this. If not he will be assumed a prisoner." The ANBU nodded and stood up, replacing the scroll into his pack again he looked at Gaara.

"What is your specialization?"

"Infiltration and combative techniques." He said in a monotone voice void of recognition. Sakura was relieved he knew how to disguise it so well. The ANBU captain nodded and looked at Sakura.

"We will take out the guards and you and an ANBU can then slip inside. They will send reinforcements outside. We have less chance of being discovered inside if only three infiltrate. There the rest of us will wait. Gen you will follow Sakura and protect her. She is our medic and is very valuable." Gaara nodded and the ANBU captain nodded back. "If there is no reply within a half hour we will infiltrate and assume a rescue. Understood?"

"Hai!" They all replied and they immediately set out across the trees silent as the forest itself.

End of Chapter 26


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura works with ANBU, the mission continues.

Gaara watched Sakura as she dropped behind a pine tree and followed her move with the ANBU close by him. He dropped next to her and waited for the signal.

The captain and the other ANBU jumped out into the clearing making the men guarding the door start and spin around to confront them.

"What are you doing here this is private property!" The one on the right shouted.

"We won't be staying long." The captain stated, straightening up. He pulled out a kunai as the men readied their weapons.

"We'll crush you to bits if you don't clear out!" The other shouted at them, holding his large sword a little bit higher in his hands.

The captain sent out a kunai with deadly grace that the man barely deflected with his sword before yelling and charging at him. He dodged him easily and planted a kunai in his right arm.

By this point the other thug had called for backup and the other ANBU members were beginning to fight the newcomers. Unlike the guards, they seemed more trained but still at a Genin or Chunnin level. The ANBU were making short work of them as three already lay dead and others wounded.

Sakura nodded as the captain sent a small pulse of chakra into the air. She motioned to Gaara and the ANBU before quickly jumping to the top of the hut, immediately hiding out of sight.

The men had stopped coming out of the hut by the time Sakura dropped down and slid inside without anyone noticing. Gaara and the ANBU followed after her. Sakura looked around the small shack and saw a door open in the back. It had stairs leading down to a hallway lit with torches. Sakura felt no presence currently on the stairs as she nodded to Gaara and the ANBU member.

They erased their chakra signals and followed as Sakura slipped quietly into the passage. They moved down quickly, the ANBU giving small hand gestures to indicate that there were no chakra signals in the hall below.

Sakura moved quickly and silently through the hallway, looking for the leader or head of the operation. She turned a corner and felt two chakra signals in a room down the hall. She signaled to the ANBU and Gaara to slow down. They continued sneaking against the wall, their shadows dancing on the opposite wall in the torch light. She heard voices and crouched near the door motioning for them to stop.

"Konoha shinobi are trying to infiltrate here. They attacked the guards and they requested for backup. We sent the men out to stop them. Do you want to leave?" The first voice, a male, warbled from behind the door.

"No we will stay and wait it out. They won't last long. Maybe we can even capture and interrogate one." A second, deeper voice commanded.

"Yes Sir." The first voice answered. Sakura heard footsteps and motioned for them to retreat to a doorframe next to them. They hid against the door and waited for the man to walk past them. The first ANBU jumped out and put his hand over the man's mouth before slitting his throat. Sakura checked his pulse quickly and nodded that he was dead. The ANBU looked at him and then back to Sakura. She hated it when they killed like that, a good medically induced coma would have worked, but they were in a hurry.

"I don't recognize him. He is probably just a hired right hand." He motioned to the dead man as Gaara nodded. The ANBU took off the communicator around the man's neck and put it in his pocket.

Sakura snuck back to the door and looked at Gaara and the ANBU who were watching her intently from behind their masks. They went in front of her on the other side of the door holding kunai at the ready. Sakura opened the door and walked inside, holding her kunai in front of her. The room was huge and had large pillars supporting the ceiling. _"Great. Just what I need. A few of these knocked out and I can have the place down in minutes."_ She glanced around the room, feeling a presence but unable to detect the distinct chakra.

"Ah look what I have here. A little mouse seemed to have slipped through my trap. What a troublesome thing this is." A voice hissed from the shadows. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Seriously? The whole 'I'm an evil mastermind who is mysteriously in the shadows" thing was so old and overused. "My my, what a pretty little mouse you are. Maybe I won't kill you." He laughed evilly and she scowled.

She watched as he walked out from the shadows and into the torch light. Sakura scowled again and watched as he looked at her as if assessing a prize to be won.

Gaara tensed from his spot in the shadows and suppressed the urge to kill him on the spot for looking at Sakura that way. He held back only for fear of ruining the mission and putting Sakura in danger.

"Who will be killing who is something you should be worried about. I am afraid that we outnumber you." Sakura smiled as Gaara moved into the room with the ANBU. The man raised an eyebrow as Gaara and the ANBU flanked her.

"Oh dear it appears I am. Well then what am I to do?" He grinned and Sakura recognized him with sudden clarity.

"You're the lord. I recognize you from when you came to Konoha." She narrowed her eyes and he smiled.

"A clever mouse indeed, but so quick to judge." He laughed and reached his hand behind his back. Gaara wanted to kill him more than ever for mocking Sakura but again held back.

"You can either come quietly and not be attacked, or we will not hesitate to kill you. Answer our questions and you will not be treated as harshly." The ANBU stated this in a monotone voice, stepping forwards while Sakura stepped back. The lord laughed.

"I may not want to answer any questions, how does that sound?" The ANBU tensed his hand a little and Sakura did as well. The lord put his other hand to his forehead. "The Hokage sent an ANBU and a little mouse after me? How insulting." He pulled out a scroll as the ANBU launched a kunai, which he dodged.

He made a few quick hand symbols and a large beast appeared. It looked like a large beetle with spikes and immediately Sakura's skin began to crawl. She hated beetles. He stood on its back and sneered down at them. "Well that won't be enough to stop me." The beetle ran towards them and they dodged it. It was fast, but too big to be agile in the room.

Sakura quickly pushed off of the pillar near here and launched a kunai towards the lord. He dodged it and the beetle came towards her, its long spiked nose swinging wildly in front of it. Gaara watched and took off towards her, moving to jump in front of her if needed. The ANBU jumped towards the beetle's back and made a hand signal sending a wave of water towards him making it freeze around the beetle's feet. The beetle stopped for a moment and let out a high pitched shriek, before breaking the ice.

Sakura moved left and quickly shot another kunai towards the lord. It skimmed his arm and he hissed.

"I was going to go easy on you because you were such a pretty little thing but I see now that will be impossible." The bug slammed left towards Sakura and she dodged it as it knocked over a pillar. The ceiling shook a little and Sakura's eyes flitted towards the ceiling. A few more hits like that and it would come tumbling down on all of them.

Gaara glanced at Sakura, seeing that she was unharmed, before starting his offensive. He turned to the lord and ran towards the beetle, sending a quick shuriken towards him, effectively hitting the lord's exposed leg. He hissed again and looked at Gaara, scowling. "That's going to cost you brat!" He launched a rain of senbon towards Gaara as he dodged them, sending another shuriken towards him. The ANBU simultaneously launched a senbon towards his neck and the lord dodged them both. The bug unfolded its wings and sent a powerful wave of wind towards them before hovering in the air.

"Gen protect Haruno-san. I think the roof will collapse if we can get the bug to hit the pillars and knock them down." Gaara nodded as Sakura looked up at the angry bug flying towards her.

She took off across the room and stopped in front of a pillar as the bug charged and hit it, knocking it down and shaking the ceiling again. She dodged another wind attack as Gaara ran over to her, sending kunai towards the bug that hit its tough shell and made it hiss angrily. The roof was still stable and Sakura wondered how long it would take to knock down all of the pillars. She scowled and looked at the bug.

"I'm going to punch the ground and try to shatter the pillars. Cover me." The ANBU nodded and Gaara took the left while he took the right. Sakura gathered chakra in her hand and the boys jumped into the air as she hit the floor, splitting the rock and cracking it into a fissure. The pillars began to crack and crumble as the bug tried another wind attack which Sakura dodged as the ANBU made another hand signal.

A large wave of water slammed into the bug and filled the area, breaking the weakened pillars. Sakura jumped out of the way of falling chunks of ceiling and Gaara followed her closely, jumping on top of rocks falling to escape getting crushed.

They saw the ANBU copying them as the bug hissed and shrieked as he was hit by a rock, causing him to falter in his flight and then beat his wings harder. The wings were wet and he was falling rapidly as another rock hit him and he fell to the ground with a sickening noise. The lord jumped onto the rocks as the last of them fell. They all jumped onto the meadow above with the large pit of water behind them. Sakura and Gaara landed side by side.

"Well you may have defeated my bug, but you have not even begun to defeat me!" He made hand signals and sent wind attacks towards them that Sakura dodged.

"It's not over yet!" Sakura yelled.

The ANBU shot a senbon attack as Sakura pulled out a scroll, sending several kunai with small bags on the ends of them towards the lord with a quick hand signal. He dodged them and deflected them with his own kunai, causing the bags to break and cherry blossom petals to fly through the air. He laughed as he watched them fall around him.

"Petals? Haha you really are a little girl aren't you?" He laughed as Sakura grinned, pulling out another kunai with an explosive tag on it. She chucked it in his direction, watching as it landed near his feet before making a quick hand sign.

He looked down just as the tag exploded, setting off a chain reaction to the petals in the air, each exploding with a loud pop. Sakura and the others all jumped back and waited as the explosion subsided. She scowled and shielded here face with her arm the smoke cleared, revealing the lord lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, his eyes tightly closed. Sakura jumped down and Gaara covered her as the ANBU approached the man and took his pulse.

"He's alive but in bad shape. I will bind him and we can take him to Konoha for interrogation. Let's call the captain and get them to come over here." Sakura nodded and turned on her communicator.

"Captain we have the lord in our captivity and wish to rendezvous here." She heard a dead silence and feared he was dead.

"Stay where you are we will be there momentarily. We have one needing medical attention." She heard his voice through the receiver and nodded.

"Hai." Gaara looked at her and saw her sigh of relief. She had a few cuts and scratches but nothing major. He was glad. He himself was unharmed save for a few minor scrapes on his arms.

Sakura smiled at him and he nodded back smiling behind his mask. She then turned to the trees as the captain and the other ANBU arrived. One was being carried, bleeding from a long cut on his leg rather heavily. "Set him here." He was set down on the ground in front of Sakura. Not wasting any time, she raised a glowing green hand full of chakra, pressing it to the cut, healing it and sealing the wound. Luckily it wasn't deep and Sakura sealed it so it wouldn't bleed. She then bandaged it and smiled at him. "Done."

"Thank you Haruno-san." She nodded and turned to the Captain.

"What now Captain? Do you want me to heal you as well?" He shook his head and turned to the lord who had been tied up and propped against a tree. Sakura walked over to him and stopped his bleeding so he wouldn't die of blood loss but did not heal anything else. The Captain nodding his approval and ordered one of the ANBU members to carry him. Sakura and Gaara turned to him as he looked at them.

"Gen, Haruno-san, I would like for you to investigate his house and see exactly what he was trying to do." Sakura and Gaara nodded and the ANBU carrying the Feudal Lord and the captain left, jumping quickly through the trees. The formerly injured ANBU, the one with the code name Kaguri, was still in the clearing and had walked over to Sakura and Gaara.

"I was ordered to stay with you and await further orders. I'll help you investigate the lord's house. We can go now if you like." Sakura nodded and they jumped into the trees heading back to the town.

End of Chapter 27


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the strongest of shinobi have problems when they are caught off-guard.

Sakura moved through the trees a little slower than before. She knew conserving energy was a good idea at this point and besides, they weren't in a serious hurry to get to the lord's house.

Gaara sensed her slower pace and quickly adjusted to it. He traveled close to Sakura and looked at her. She turned and looked at him with a smile.

"That fight didn't take long." He nodded.

"I didn't expect it to. He seemed to think he was a lot better than he really was." Gaara said in his monotone voice. Kaguri had turned to Sakura and was now traveling close to her other side.

"I think he wasn't the head of this plot. He didn't give off the typical leader image." Sakura looked at him with her brow furrowed.

"I agree. He seemed like he wanted to stay alive but wasn't really in charge of anything. It almost seemed like he was being kept there so whoever's operating this could have someone to gain power from. I think he was a pawn for someone else." Kaguri nodded as they stopped in the trees above the lord's estate.

They saw guards patrolling the inside and figured their suspicions were confirmed. Someone else was running this and it wasn't the lord. There were way too many guards here for it to be a mere 'side base.' Kaguri looked around and saw guards ranging from hired thugs to seemingly well trained ninja.

"I think we need to make a plan. This is going to be harder than we thought. Gen can you see any way we could get in?" Gaara was standing higher up on the tree and nodded.

"There is a door in the east side that is not being covered at the moment." Sakura looked up at him and then at the door he was pointing to.

"I can get in there without being seen. It's better if it's only me. I can get around easier if it's only me sneaking around we have less chances of being discovered. Aside from that. I can always play a housekeeper or maid if need be." Gaara scowled behind his mask and was about to say he would go when Kaguri nodded.

"She is probably one of the best people we could use for this job. We'll act as backup if you need it. Keep your communicator on and radio us when you get any information and on the half hour." She nodded and stood up against the tree.

"I'll be back soon I promise." She whispered to Gaara as he discretely squeezed her hand.

"Be careful." He breathed back and she gave him a big smile.

"I always am." Then she flickered away appearing on a tree farther away from them. Kaguri lay on his stomach on the branch and Gaara stood on a tree a little ways away, watching Sakura as she dropped down onto a tree near the door. She looked around and flickered to the door before sliding in.

 _"Ok I'm in now which way do I go?"_ She thought, looking around the small bedroom she had slid into. Silently, and with great care, Sakura walked over to the door and opened it slowly, peering out into the corridor.

She shut it silently when she heard footsteps and quickly hid in the wardrobe. From her place in the wardrobe she watched a girl wearing a servant's kimono walk into the room and begin to fluff the pillows on the bed and clean the room. _"Perfect."_ Sakura silently put a genjutsu on her and snuck out of the wardrobe heading towards the oblivious girl, knocking her out with a small tap to the back of the neck. The girl crumpled immediately into Sakura's waiting arms.

"Sorry, it's nothing personal." She whispered, putting the girl into the wardrobe before taking her kimono off her, leaving the girl in her plain clothing underneath.

Sakura held it up to herself before sliding it on over her clothing. She slid a kunai into the sleeve and tied a ribbon around her neck, hiding the communicator. She then henged her hair a dark brown and pulled some of it into her face. She then opened the door and walked out into the corridor. She walked quickly down the hall, freezing and lowering her head a little when voices and footsteps began to approach her.

"Well the boss said we should check it out. He said there was an explosion over in that direction reported by a border patrol guard." The first man said walking closer to where Sakura was quietly walking down the corridor. The footsteps stopped and the other man seemed to scoff.

"It's probably just some pesky local trying to snoop around. Nothing big; those guys always get so worked up about that. Besides, the lord is there so everything is fine. Boss says he's completely converted to our side." Sakura heard their footsteps continue as they rounded the corner. She looked down at the floor and walked down the hall like a shy servant girl.

"Hey you!" The man called to Sakura who stopped and turned around, bowing respectfully.

"Yes Sir, may I help you with something?" She looked up at the men who were standing in front of her. They smiled and looked at her.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around here." He smirked at her and looked her up and down as she nodded shyly.

"I'm a bit lost I was looking for the Boss' office I was told to clean it." The men smiled and nodded towards the left.

"Walk down that hallway and it's the third door on the left." She bowed and the men walked away, smiling and talking about her a little too freely for her liking.

As soon as she was out of sight she tapped her communicator and whispered a quick message. "Kaguri, I have infiltrated. I am on my way to the Boss' office." Kaguri replied with his approval and Sakura continued walking. She stopped at the door and knocked, listening for a response.

Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she quietly opened the door and saw no one in the room. As silent as a mouse, she slipped into the room and began to look around.

The room was large and decorated with old and ornate furniture. Assuming the cover of dusting the furniture, she began to move around the room. Her eyes skimmed across the old knick-knacks and trinkets lying on the shelves, deciding they were of little importance. Her eyes stopped and rested upon an old desk in the center of the room.

 _"That is most likely my best bet for getting information."_ On the desk lay a map of Fire Country and Grass Country with three ports circled.

She thought this was odd and immediately began to memorize the port names and locations. She recognized two of the ports immediately as they were notorious illegal ports that were involved in the black market. _"So that's what he's using the money for, illegal goods. The tax money all goes to them and they use it for their own advantage. That's a typical move, but what are they buying and what are they using it for?"_ She picked up a black booklet lying on the desk and saw a list of purchases all signed with the same signature for the same thing; weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.

"Kaguri I found a booklet with purchases of weapons listed all under the same name. Not to mention they are using the tax money to pay for it."

"Good work see if you can find anything else and then get out of there. There are some men moving in your direction."

"Hai." She said and ended the communication. She then began to arrange the papers on the desk and look through each one under the guise that she was organizing them. She scanned through each one and saw a list of names, some crossed out and others circled. One caught her eye and she wasn't surprised to see it circled in a heavy black ink as if someone was pressing angrily on the paper.

Tsunade's name and under it, a name she didn't expect to see; Haruno Sakura. She frowned and immediately felt a chill settle over her spine. These people were definitely targeting people of importance, while that was not something alarming in terms of rogue behavior, targeting someone as important as the Hokage was certainly a drastic move.

Sakura noticed that the lord's name was circled and crossed out and she wondered if the Boss knew about his death yet. Seeing her name on the list again as she scanned through made her realize something she hadn't thought of. They probably knew exactly what she looked like. She took a deep breath, and put the papers down, walking quickly towards the door. Her hair colouring was not going to cut it.

She opened the door and found herself looking up into the face of a tall man who smiled grotesquely at her before someone she hadn't sensed hit her on the back of the neck and she blacked out.

Up in the trees Gaara was becoming increasingly agitated. It had been a while since Sakura had communicated and he was becoming more aggravated by the minute.

Kaguri looked at his jerky movements and tried to contact Sakura. "Haruno, do you copy? Come in." He couldn't let Kaguri see or he would give away his undercover act. So he merely watched the windows of the building like a hawk. Suddenly a flash of pink caught his eye.

"Kaguri, there." He pointed to a window where a group of figures were walking. The middle one was carrying something and Gaara hoped his eyes were wrong.

"She's been captured." Kaguri murmured this last part as Gaara's shoulders tensed. He looked to where Kaguri was pointing with a sense of dread. Sure enough, there she was, being carried limply over a large man's shoulder. Her wrists were bound and she seemed to be unconscious. Gaara felt a wave of anger coming over him and was about to jump down and get her back when Kaguri spoke up.

"I have a plan but it's a bit risky. I'll need you to listen to my directions exactly. We need to get her back at all costs. She's our medic and, as you are aware, incredibly valuable to Konoha." Gaara nodded and took all of his willpower to stay on the branch. "On my signal we follow." Kaguri looked down and waited for the shinobi in the courtyard to look different directions before he raised his hand and said, "Now."

Gaara jumped off the branch and across the rooftops, following the men carrying Sakura along the outside of the building before they disappeared into a stairwell. Kaguri motioned for Gaara to follow him through a door near them that would lead into the corridor. They slipped inside quickly and hurried down the corridor towards the stairwell the men disappeared into. Gaara pulled out a shuriken and Kaguri cautiously opened the door. The stairs were lit by some torches and descended into a dark hallway.

Their chakra signatures were already completely diminished as they moved down the stairs. Kaguri stopped Gaara as they reached the bottom of the stairs and motioned for him to look at what the men were doing.

"The Bingo Books don't do her justice. She sure is a beauty. Shame that she's a captive. She seems like such a nice girl." The bigger man said setting her down on the floor of a cell. "Boss' orders though, apparently she's the Hokage's apprentice. Keep an eye on her, she's a sneaky one." He turned and began to walk Gaara and Kaguri's way. Kaguri made a quick hand sign and released a genjutsu as the man walked right past them without noticing anything.

Gaara was focused on the body of Sakura lying unconscious in the cell. She was breathing evenly and seemed to be relatively unhurt. The four guards around her cell all looked like trained ninjas. None were wearing forehead protectors of any kind so were obviously rogues.

Gaara resisted the urge to growl. He wanted so badly to kill them for taking her. That old sensation fueled by Shukaku's anger filled him again and he knew he could beat them even without his sand. With a small nod from Kaguri, they both threw kunai, hitting one of the guards in the neck, dropping him to the ground instantly.

The others were immediately alert, turning and grabbing weapons, throwing them at Kaguri who was dodging them while throwing his own weapons, most of which were finding their marks in one way or another.

Realizing they were outmatched, one of the guards dropped back and opened Sakura's cell before grabbing her and running away down the corridor. Kaguri looked at Gaara and yelled, "Follow them!" Gaara nodded and dodged kunai as he raced after them. Two more guards came down the stairs and followed Gaara sending a rain of weapons after him. He threw a shuriken that hit one in the arm slowing him down for a moment before he began to follow again.

 _"Sakura why did I let you get yourself into this?"_ He growled as he turned a corner, making sure not to lose sight of the man carrying Sakura. He was fast, even with Sakura's added weight; the problem was not simply catching up to him. It was the fact that he could not disarm him without causing Sakura undo harm. The man threw shuriken at Gaara, who dodged them easily while running swiftly towards him. He was using his sand to speed his steps but nobody would notice it anyways. At this point he didn't care.

The man carrying Sakura noticed Gaara was gaining on him and immediately turned into a stairwell, slamming into the corridor above before jumping out an open window and across the trees outside. Gaara heard a voice calling after him but didn't care as he raced out the window and followed the man in hot pursuit.

"Gen!" Gaara spun his head around for a second and saw an out of breath Kaguri next to him with not even a scratch on him, he was ANBU after all, and that was expected.

They both took positions as they moved through the trees, gaining on the man in front of them. The man was racing through the forest towards the ruined hideout of the lord. Obviously he was going for backup but wasn't going to receive any. Gaara felt a lot of chakra signals behind them and figured the guards from the lord's house were chasing them. It was sure to end in a fight but he would be willing to do anything to help Sakura.

End of Chapter 28


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura gets hurt, medics can have that happen you know.

"Cover me!" Gaara shouted, breaking ahead and sprinting towards where the man had set Sakura down and was now readying himself for a fight. Kaguri nodded and covered Gaara as he dropped down to face the man covering Sakura. She was lying on the ground, seemingly immobile. With a closer look Gaara realized that she had began to stir.

The man was not focused on her, however, but was instead entirely focused on Gaara. He threw a kunai with an exploding tag at Gaara and he jumped out of the way as the man made a quick hand signal sending the Earth beneath them to crumble and crack. Gaara dodged a bombardment of rocks and gave in to the urge to use his sand to sneak up behind the man and suddenly curl around his neck. Gaara made a hand sign and the sand squeezed and slit his throat. Gaara then ran over to Sakura.

"Sakura!" He took her head in his hands and she opened her eyes.

"Ah so the rescue crew came then. Bastards blocked their chakra." He squeezed her hand but his joy was short lived as she quickly broke her bonds and knocked him away from a kunai heading towards them. The guards from the estate were in the clearing now and Kaguri appeared at their side instantly.

"Good to see you are awake. Are you hurt?" She shook her head and Kaguri nodded as she stood up with Gaara flanking her.

"Let's take care of these thugs." She shouted and punched the ground, creating a deep rift in the earth causing several guards to fall into it. She then launched another hit to the ground, sealing the rift most of the way.

Some of the guards backed up and Kaguri sent explosive kunai towards them quickly killing two of them. The guards were circling now, eyeing Sakura with anger on their faces.

One charged from her right and she dodged his kunai, hitting his arm with a quick chakra induced punch, grinning with satisfaction as she heard the sickening crunch.

Gaara was fighting a man with a large sword who was swinging it at him in an attempt to hit him. It was more like a comical dance, as Gaara was always one step ahead of him and was making shots of his own with shuriken. Two hit his opponent and made him falter long enough for a rock spear created by Kaguri to pierce him through the heart and kill him.

Gaara nodded his thanks to Kaguri and growled at the disadvantage he had by not being able to use any jutsu to help him other than the basic ones he had learned.

"You get the one in the mask and I'll get this ANBU!" A guard shouted his orders as two other shinobi came running at Gaara.

He sent out two shuriken immediately, aiming for their hearts. They dodged them with quick movements. He was dodging most of the attacks, using his speed to his advantage.

His eyes continually darted towards Sakura who was fighting three men at once. She dodged left and aimed a chakra enhanced fist into a man's chest making him collapse on the ground and not get up. She then immediately turned and hit another in the face, making him fall unconscious as well. She was using taijutsu to her advantage, something Gaara wished he could do.

"Gen left!" Kaguri called to him just in time to dodge a shuriken thrown at him. Kaguri darted in front of Gaara, throwing an exploding kunai after one of the men attacking him, it hit its mark, exploding with a sickening noise.

Sakura was holding her own, using her chakra laden punches and fast movements as well as she had been taught. She had disabled or killed most of her opponents at this point and was making her way towards Gaara, watching his back as well as her own.

Gaara was getting increasingly more irritated. He was still at a much higher level than these men without his sand, but was still agitated at the inability to use his best asset. The fight would have been quickly over had he been able to utilize his talents.

Gaara was watching Sakura with a close eye. She was using chakra in her kicks and punches and was therefore expending it. There were still about ten men left and she wasn't showing any sign of stopping.

Kaguri and Gaara were fighting alongside her and had killed about four more men, working to shield them from where Sakura was fighting another. Three disappeared into the trees with scared looks in their eyes, obviously abandoning the fight. There were now only a few men left still fighting and they were quickly wiped out with a rock technique from Kaguri.

The trio stood, lightly panting in the clearing when a loud clapping noise came from the trees behind them. They whirled around and saw a figure step out from the shadows clapping.

"I must say I'm impressed. An ANBU, an escort, and a medic took down my men." The figure looked up at them and shook her head. She had dark purple hair and a crossed out sound headband that made Sakura's hair stand on end. "Well you've made it clear that you are a challenge worthy of my time." She put her hand up and cocked her head to the side. "Let's see what you've got."

Sakura, having dealt with Sound shinobi more than once before, yelled at Gaara and Kaguri to put chakra in their ears so that the sound would be blocked out. Gaara did as he was told but still heard a loud buzzing noise coming from a hole in the girl's palm.

He growled and threw a kunai at her, aiming for her hand. She jumped away and dropped her arm, effectively stopping the noise. Sakura mouthed at them not to remove the chakra from their ears and Gaara and Kaguri nodded in response.

Sakura turned back to the woman who was obviously annoyed her sound attacks weren't working. She hissed at them menacingly before darting quickly upwards.

Bracing themselves for another attack, they instead found themselves staring at a man who had appeared in the spot the woman had previously occupied. He had a smug look on his face and raised a hand before firing something towards them. Sakura jumped away from the metal canister that had landed on the ground just as a dark gas began to seep out from it, covering the surrounding area.

Immediately, they took off their headbands, tying them around their mouths in case the gas was poisonous.

Gaara whirled around, finding his vision effectively cut off. He couldn't see Sakura anymore! The gas made it impossible to see anything. Her chakra signal pulled his so he could tell she was alright. He could make out chakra signals within the gas which gave him an edge, but they were fuzzy and indistinct. Sakura's was the only one he could make out with any sort of certainty.

A chakra signal came towards him and he deflected a kunai with his own, the ping swallowed in the silence of the gas.

Sakura's signal suddenly moved very quickly and he could feel another fuzzy signal near her. She was being attacked as well.

He calmed himself and made hand signals, sending his sand curling from in his pocket out into the gas to find the leg of the man attacking him. He waited as his sand found its mark and quickly closed his hands, his sand wrapping around the leg of the man. He pulled the sand back to him and was pleased when he found the man struggling to get away. With a small jump he stood over the man and moved to make a quick cut with his kunai to the man's throat.

The man attempted to struggle but Gaara merely a restrained his arms with sand and then finished him off. He expected the gas to clear as the user had been killed, but it hung around him as thick as ever in heavy, noise cancelling waves. He growled and fought to find Kaguri in the heavy gas.

"Is that all you've got? I expected more from a student of the Hokage. Especially the legendary Tsunade." Sakura growled at the woman before her, having removed her headband as she discovered the gas to be non-poisonous. She was cut off from the others, and had been looking around, desperately trying to find their chakra signals in the heavy gas when the woman attacked her.

She found that she could make out another, stronger signal that was pulling on her. In a moment of relief she knew it was Gaara's and that he was alright.

She dodged a kunai that came hurtling out of the gas towards her. It scraped her arm but didn't do much. She merely moved on and continued to throw kunai towards the fuzzy chakra signal, wondering how the woman could possibly see her in the thick gas. The woman eventually stopped her blind assault and laughed as she walked towards her, moving the gas aside with a wave of her arm.

Sakura wondered if the gas was a jutsu of some kind but didn't have time to think on this before she spotted the large force field that had surrounded them. Her eyes narrowed as she turned her focus back to the woman. It looked as if this had just gotten personal.

"What do you want from me?" Sakura hissed at her, pulling out a kunai and getting into a defensive position. The woman laughed.

"Since you'll be dead soon I'll tell you. I want to use you girl. Kill you and give your body to someone for a high bounty. There are many out there who would give their right arm for the body of the Hokage's apprentice, literally. As for myself, well, I'll get paid well and can raise an army to take over Konoha and the rest of the Fire Country. Eventually I can spread my reign to Suna and from there the possibilities are endless!" She cackled as Sakura scowled.

"Why are all you freaks so power hungry? Can't you understand you don't gain anything from a lust for power?" The woman laughed and shook her head.

"Silly girl, you gain everything from power. Absolutely everything." Sakura scowled again and the woman frowned. "I see that you are too dumb to understand. Then there is no need to delay this any longer." She lunged at Sakura and Sakura dodged her, sending a kunai behind her in the woman's general direction. The woman dodged it and immediately began humming. Sakura immediately sent chakra to her ears, recognizing a possible sound attack.

The woman simply hummed louder and pulled a scroll from her back, unrolling it and summoning a person, a body, from the scroll. Sakura immediately found herself thinking of the last puppet master she had faced and had to fight off the shivers that accompanied it. Why did it always have to be creeps with puppets?

Sakura's senses heightened as the body cocked its head towards Sakura and she saw the blue eyes staring at her with an empty glaze. They unnerved her much more than a normal puppet's eyes would. These eyes, they were too much like Naruto's eyes. She shook off the feeling of dread that had begun to fill her heart and immediately sent a shuriken towards the woman who moved the body to deflect it.

She continued to hum as it moved after Sakura, attacking her with a katana it carried. It made a few slices on her arm and she scowled, nailing it with kunai in an attempt to sever some part of it. She was becoming increasingly annoyed by the piercing blue eyes staring at her from the lifeless but animated body.

With an angry yell, Sakura punched the ground, creating a small rift that trapped the foot of the body for just the right amount of time it took to send a kunai into its neck that immediately stopped its movements. The woman scowled and made a hand signal that made it disappear. Sakura watched as it disappeared, moving back into a defensive position and attempted to shake off the eerie feeling that clung to her. Those eyes were so much like Naruto's.

Gaara's patience was running thin. The gas still hung thickly around them and didn't seem to be moving. After the fifth attempt of using a wind technique Temari taught him, the gas began to clear. As it drifted away, Gaara saw Kaguri running towards him.

"Where's Haruno?" Gaara felt for her chakra signal and found it in a different part of the clearing. Immediately his eyes found the large force field and knew Sakura was in it fighting against the woman. "Break the shield!" Kaguri called, noticing the force field at nearly the same time Gaara did. They both reached the force field at the same time; Kaguri immediately attempted to break it and was thrown backwards into Gaara.

In the barrier Sakura was still fighting the woman, trying her hardest to get rid of the image of the haunting blue eyes. She continued to attack with increasing speed, using her open earth technique to trap her feet after she made a false movement. The woman immediately began to shriek. Sakura fell to her knees, putting more chakra in her ears in an attempt to drive out the shrill noise. She could feel her chakra draining and pushed against the noise harder. She screamed in pain as the noise began to pierce her chakra, invading her head with an incredibly painful force.

Outside the force field Gaara and Kaguri heard an ear splitting shriek that rattled their eardrums even through the barrier and chakra in their ears. The shriek was followed by an agonizing scream.

"Sakura!" Gaara called, trying once again to break through the force field, both being thrown back time and time again.

Sakura threw a kunai at the woman, desperately trying to stop her shrieking. The woman moved her upper body to avoid it, breaking her concentration and cutting off her scream for just long enough for Sakura to dart over to the woman.

She rushed towards the woman pulling her fist back and launching it into the woman just as she felt a sharp pain slice across her side. Sakura's hit had landed on the woman's abdomen, no doubt rupturing more than one vital organ. Her green eyes grew wide as she watched the woman coughed blood onto Sakura's skirt.

She gave a sick sort of grin as she let go of the katana she was holding. "If I go down you do too."

Sakura gave an aggravated growl and punched her in the face, hearing the bones snap as she fell to the ground, her feet free of the Earth she had been buried in. With a sharp gasp, an intense pain swept over her, bringing her once again to her knees. She looked down and saw the blood pouring from the wound in her side, the katana lying off to her side covered in her blood.

She knew her chakra was nearly spent and attempted to apply pressure to the wound as she sent clotting chakra to the place as well as she could instead. She felt her eyes growing heavier and knew she was on the brink of unconsciousness, the woman's jutsu had done more than she had realized in terms of taking away her chakra. With a groan, she collapsed to the ground next to the woman, watching as she died in front of her and the force field began to lift. She saw two figures rush towards her before her eyes closed.

Gaara saw the force field breaking, the sheen over it lifting slowly as Kaguri and Gaara rushed forwards. When it lifted enough for them to duck under, Gaara could see what had happened and was horrified.

They ran to her, seeing the destruction inside as well as the bloody katana lying by the women, staining the snow red. Gaara saw Sakura's blood soaked clothes and deep cut on her side, rushing to her as his heart beat violently in his chest. Kaguri moved quickly, pulling off Sakura's hip pouch before ripping it open and pulling out large pressure bandages. He bandaged her stomach, placing pressure on it before lifting her into his arms.

"Gen we need to get her to a medic now she's out of chakra and losing blood." Gaara nodded, as the threat of the situation began to fill and terrify his mind. Anger welled up inside of him in such a great quantity he almost couldn't control himself.

The woman was dead, that much was true, but the pain he felt from seeing Sakura in the state she was in was more piercing that anything aside from the will to save her. He turned to Kaguri suddenly and began to speak "Let me take her. You go get help from the village. Ask if anyone knows medical ninjutsu or knows someone who knows it. Do anything you can to help her. I'll bring her to somewhere where we have contacts that will help us. It's called "The Farmer's Rest."

Kaguri nodded but Gaara thought he saw a ghost of a question in his eyes and quickly added, "I don't want to be responsible for the Hokage's prize pupil's death." Kaguri nodded once more and handed Sakura gingerly to Gaara who promptly took off through the trees at an amazing speed, pushed along by sand in his feet.

Gaara ran to the bar where they had eaten dinner, his heart thumping with every second that passed. He ran to the door, ignoring the snow now falling down quite hard on him. He had his cloak wrapped around Sakura, shallowly breathing in his arms, and banged on the door furiously. The bartender came to the door and opened it.

"We're closed! Oh it's you Gen. What's the matter?" Gaara opened his cloak and the bartender saw Sakura being carried in his arms, her stomach bleeding through her bandage. His eyes widened and he ushered them inside. "Put her here." He said, directing him to a table that had been cleared off. He rushed away for a moment, grabbing a cushion from one of the booths before placing it under her head. "What happened?" He questioned, a scared look in his eyes.

"We were walking in the forest and she went off on a trail by herself saying she would be back in a minute. I heard a scream and I found her like this. A friend of ours has gone for help." He looked at her, continually putting pressure on the bandage as he watched the rise and fall of her chest.

"You were right to bring her here." The bartender placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder before hurrying away to get some water and a cloth. Gaara took them, laying it across her pale forehead.

There was a knock on the door before Kaguri burst in with an old woman behind him. She walked over to Sakura and swiftly replaced Gaara in holding pressure on the bandage. She began to pull off the tape, pulling it off swiftly before immediately raising a hand with green chakra up to the cut. Gaara watched as the bleeding stopped as the old woman concentrated on cauterizing the wound. As soon as the wound was cauterized, she took out a needle and thread and stitched the wound, applying fresh bandages to her stomach. The woman looked at Kaguri and Gaara who were standing worriedly by her side.

"She'll be stable for now. She needs rest and to be taken for proper treatment as soon as possible. It was lucky for you I studied a little bit of medical ninjutsu and was able to use it." She looked at them both as Gaara bowed slightly "It's free of charge. Your friend cleared that up don't worry." She nodded to them and then promptly walked out the door. Iori looked at Gaara and Kaguri and sighed.

"I'll go get your things from the hotel and then we can head for a medical center." Gaara nodded as Kaguri left.

"The worst is over I suppose. It's a good thing Nona knows that. You can put your wife upstairs until our friend returns." Gaara thanked him and he nodded.

Gaara to followed Iori upstairs to his house above the bar, holding the unconscious Sakura in his arms. Iori motioned for Gaara to place her in a spare bed in a spare room he had.

His wife, having heard the commotion immediately rushed in to help Gaara. Telling him to go get something to eat as she took care of Sakura, watching over her like a mother hen. He nodded and thanked them both for their great kindness.

"I will make sure I repay you." Iori shook his head giving Gaara a glass of tea and a pat on the back as he sat on a bar stool next to him.

"There's no need. You needed help and we gave it of our own will. I'm sure you and your wife would do the same." Gaara nodded and wished in that moment to tell the man about his true identity. He decided against it, accepting the tea and lifting his mask just enough to drink it. Kaguri came in a few minutes later with their things and brought them up to the room where Sakura was.

"Gen, she's awake!" Kaguri called down the stairs and Gaara walked upstairs, resisting the urge to run. He saw Sakura sitting up in the bed, looking as pale as death, but still very much alive. Kaguri was near the bed and Gaara walked over to her.

"How are you Yuri?" He questioned her softly.

"I'm feeling much better." She smiled at them as Iori and his wife walked into the room.

"I'm glad to see you are alright Yuri, you gave us quite a scare! What happened?" She fussed over her a bit as Sakura gave a weak smile.

"I'm much better now thanks to you and my friend Kaguri who helped us out, he's a shinobi in Konoha. It was so lucky he was in town!" She smiled and Kaguri nodded. "I was attacked in the forest, I don't remember much…" She trailed off as Iori's wife shushed her.

"I heard there was talk of a gang here and was worried about you two so I came here. I didn't want my best friends getting hurt so I arrived last night. Unfortunately I didn't help with this." He looked at Sakura. She smiled and swung her legs over the side of the bed as Kaguri and Gaara rushed over to help her up in a show of concerned friendship. She gratefully took their arms. Swaying slightly as she stood.

"I'm fine I'm just a bit dizzy." Kaguri and Gaara nodded as she smiled at the bartender and his wife. "I know you are going to ask us to stay but we have to get back. Kaguri met us last night and told us our village needs us home to help repair damages from the storm. I would love to stay, you both have been so nice to us! I will come and visit very soon I promise."

"You need to get to a medical center and rest first. You're still not well." Iori shook his head as Sakura smiled.

"There's one in my town. I'm sure my husband and Kaguri can get me there alright." Iori nodded as Sakura bowed lightly to him and his wife. The group moved downstairs, stepping out into the snow as Sakura braced herself heavily against Gaara.

They waved to Iori and his wife and began moving as they heard the door shut behind them.

The moment the couple was inside, Sakura faltered and almost fell. Gaara caught her and scooped her into his arms looking at Kaguri who nodded, carrying their packs as they walked calmly down the street at a swift pace.

Once they were out of the town they jumped into the forest and sped quickly through the trees towards Konoha. Sakura had passed out again and they knew they needed to get her proper medical healing.

The way was slow going in the snow but they pressed on, the urgency of the situation and Sakura's labored breathing spurring them to move at amazing speeds through the snow.

They arrived in Konoha in the dark hours of the early morning with the snow still falling and Sakura shivering in Gaara's arms. Izumo and Kotetsu saw them arrive and immediately dashed out, demanding to know what happened. Kaguri waved Gaara away and turned to brief Kotetsu and Izumo on what happened as Gaara took off towards the hospital.

Kaguri went to the Hokage tower, after explaining the situation to Izumo and Kotetsu, to give the full mission report and send a group of ANBU to get the bodies of the enemies and clear up the mess in the town explaining to the people what happened.

Gaara burst into the hospital, yelling for a medic, and efficiently scaring the receptionist who was practically alone in the room. Immediately, a man in blue turned quickly around the corner, taking in the sight of Sakura in Gaara's arms before yelling for a gurney.

Gaara set Sakura on the gurney and followed the nurses and medics through the halls as they rushed Sakura to a room where they began to heal her completely. He wanted to stay but knew he had to leave so he wouldn't be recognized, the nurse assured him she was being stabilized as Gaara told her to send word to the Hokage. She nodded as he gave the excuse that he was just an escort.

He left the hospital before running to Sakura's house where their things were waiting on the front step. He brought them inside her house, setting hers in her room and his in his own.

He took off his mask and dirty clothing and immediately took the quickest shower he could to erase any trace of the mission off of his body. He decided he couldn't wait at Sakura's house in case he raised suspicion. In a moment of utter frustration he knew that he couldn't go to the hospital either, nobody would have known she was there and it would look too suspicious. With a final growl, he decided to go over to Naruto's apartment now that it was later in the morning. At least there he could wait for news without having the urge to burst back into the hospital.

End of Chapter 29


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret is out...sort of.

Gaara walked up to Naruto's apartment, knocking on the door and hearing a rather loud crash before it opened and his blonde friend's face appeared in the door frame.

"Gaara?! It's so early, come on in!" He smiled as Gaara walked inside. A quick glance around told him that his friend had not been expected any company.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and kicked some of the clothes on the floor off to the side. "Sorry about the mess. Sakura-chan's always yelling at me about it. Do you want some ramen? It's not as good as Ichiraku's but it still tastes good. But that's probably because it's ramen." He smiled and Gaara nodded, trying his best to act like he was alright and not filled with anger and worry.

"Sure Naruto." The blonde nodded and set a large pot on the stove before filling it with water. He looked over his shoulder at Gaara.

"So what are you doing here? I know Sakura-chan is on a mission but I haven't seen you around the village. I checked Sakura-chan's house but nobody answered so I figured you might have gone somewhere else. Did you just get bored?" Gaara shrugged.

"You could say that. I was walking around the village most of the time."

"Ah well I usually just train when I get bored. Or go and talk to Sakura-chan or someone. Hey I forgot to ask if you know when Sakura's getting back!" He gave Gaara a bright eyed look that made Gaara want to explain what really happened. Instead he simply shook his head.

"I'm sure it will be soon." He watched as Naruto scrunched up his face and then shook his head.

"I never know when she gets back from missions either. Tsunade-baachan tells me so I can go meet her but she hasn't said anything to me yet. I'm sure she'll be back soon. But for now you have her house all to yourself. You're so lucky! Her house always feels so big and nice compared to my apartment and she really keeps it clean." He poured the ramen into two bowls and gave Gaara one before digging into his own. "Her mom died a while ago. Her father died when she was really young. They left her the house and she's had it ever since. It was strange, the people who went to her mother's funeral said she didn't cry the whole way through and when the last people left they saw her fall to her knees and cry so hard her body shook."

Gaara watched him as he talked and was glad that Sakura had such good friends that cared about her. The blonde seemed to have no qualms about discussing his friend's personal histories. Naruto had already finished his first bowl and grabbed a second bowl full before sitting back down. He had just started talking to Gaara about a new jutsu he had perfected when someone knocked on the door.

Gaara stood up, already knowing what the news would be, as Naruto walked to the door to see who it was. When Naruto opened the door, Gaara saw a masked ninja standing at the door with a letter in his hand. He gave it to Naruto and then promptly disappeared. Naruto frowned at the letter and walked back into the kitchen to open it.

"Who is it from Naruto?" Gaara asked looking at the white envelope Naruto was opening.

"It's from Tsunade-baachan. Maybe it's about Sakura-chan! Maybe she's coming back from her mission!" He smiled and ripped the envelope open pulling out the letter and reading it quickly his mood falling instantly. "Sakura's in the hospital! Let's go Gaara!" Gaara followed Naruto out the door, rushing across the rooftops with him towards the hospital, happy to be going to see how Sakura was doing. Naruto burst through the doors to the hospital with Gaara close behind. The blonde immediately ran up to a passing nurse and started yelling at her so fast it was almost impossible to understand. Gaara sighed and walked up to Naruto putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from talking to the now frightened nurse.

"Sakura Haruno's room please." The nurse gave him a grateful look and stated that she was in room twenty. Gaara thanked her and made a babbling Naruto follow him down the hall to Sakura's room.

He moved to knock on the door but was cut off by a mass of blonde and orange that shot into the room, sufficiently blocking his view.

"Sakura-chan! What happened!? How'd you get hurt?! Who did this to you?! I'll kill them!" Naruto's blue eyes darkened as Gaara moved into the room. His spirits lifting greatly at Sakura's exasperated smile as the blonde held tightly onto her hand. Sakura laughed and smiled at Naruto with a look of practiced patience gained from years of dealing with the overprotective blonde.

"Naruto, please, I'm fine. I just got a little cut up and ran out of chakra. You of all people should know that I can handle myself." She ruffled his hair lightly as Naruto sighed and hugged her gently. Her gaze then flickered to Gaara who watched her silently. She smiled at him and then turned back to Naruto.

"What happened to you Sakura-chan? I heard you were going on a recon mission. I didn't think that would mean fighting." His brow furrowed slightly as Sakura shook her head.

"It was a recon and attack mission Naruto. I was meant to find a group and then radio for ANBU backup. I did, and then we attacked and took out the group. There was a Sound defector there, and well, you can figure out the rest." Her eyes darkened slightly as Naruto gave her a knowing glance.

"Well you're back now and you're patched up. I'm sure you did more damage than they ever expected!" He beamed as Sakura laughed slightly.

"Well I certainly did some damage. You could have done more, though I'm not sure if I would have made it past the recon part with you there! You're not exactly known for being quiet." Naruto gaped at her as she giggled lightly.

"Sakura-chaaan that's not fair! That was only, well ok maybe that was twice, but that mission in Iwagakure did not count! That was Sai's fault!" Sakura laughed as Naruto babbled. Gaara watched them talk with a quiet smile on his face. He was incredibly relieved to see her doing so well. Naruto argued playfully for a bit longer as Sakura laughed and pointed out that, yes it was him that set off that trap in Iwagakure and no, it was not Sai's fault as he was in the midst of transferring completely to the black ops division of ANBU and was meant to be staying in Iwagakure. Gaara heard a knock on the door and watched as a nurse walked in the room and smiled at Sakura, cutting off her and Naruto's playful argument.

"Haruno-san, the Hokage told me that you can go when you are feeling up to it. You will be completely fine just take it easy for a few days." Sakura smiled at her and nodded.

"Thank you Mai, you have progressed very much in your training I think you will become a fine addition to the hospital staff." Mai blushed and bowed thanking her before walking out of the room.

Sakura pulled out the blood drip they had attached to her out of precaution and tied its end before calling for a nurse to transport it away. She then turned to Naruto and Gaara.

"I'll change and be out in a minute, then you two can walk me home." Gaara nodded and watched with amusement as Naruto didn't move. Sakura looked at him and motioned for him to leave but he stood there with a confused look, still not understanding. Gaara shook his head and grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the room and giving some privacy to his fiancée.

Sakura smiled and grabbed her ripped and bloodied clothing, sighing upon seeing that were the only clothes she had in the hospital room. She slid them on with a disgusted look before opening the door and sliding on her cloak to shield her from the cold.

Gaara appraised her condition when she walked out of the room, she had gained some color back in her cheeks and seemed to indeed be better. His eyes flickered to her finger where her engagement ring lay. The diamond had been turned towards her palm and she slid her arm into her cloak noticing his gaze.

"I'm glad to see you are alright Sakura." Gaara said, hating to be formal around her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for coming to see me Gaara." She walked next to him as Naruto lazily walked alongside her, babbling about some new jutsu he had learned and would have to show her when she was feeling better.

After a while of his babbling, they turned onto her street, their conversation slowing as they reached her house.

"Hey Sakura-chan, do you want to get some dinner tonight? As a celebration of you being better now." Sakura smiled at Naruto and shook her head, causing his face to fall a little.

"I'm actually really tired Naruto and I need to rest still, but maybe we could get dinner tomorrow? We'll tell the others and we can all go get barbeque." He smiled happily and nodded.

"I'll tell everyone for you Sakura-chan! Just rest easy and let me take care of it!" He smiled and hugged her before calling his goodbyes to them as he walked away. Gaara looked at Sakura with a long glance as she opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately, he pulled her into a gentle hug, burying his face into her pink hair.

"You should not have been hurt. You should not have been allowed to be injured, not with me there." He murmured these things into her hair, holding her close as he berated himself.

He gently moved his head back as his eyes searched her annoyed face. She grasped his face firmly in her hands and scrunched up her eyebrows.

"You did so much for me; I know how hard it must have been without your sand. I know how much you risked for me. You should not be punishing yourself. I am used to this, this is my life. You brought me back to Konoha, I was healed, I am fine." She continued to give him a stern look until he appeared to give in to her and closed his eyes in silent acceptance.

She nodded her approval, then kissed him gently, and pulled away to hang up her coat, looking down at her clothes in disgust. "I'll be right back I'm going to shower and change out of these dirty clothes". He nodded and watched her walk down the hall to her room.

He walked into the kitchen as soon as she was out of sight, deciding something to eat would be a good thing for her. After perusing the contents of the fridge, he decided reheating steak and noodles would be good to cook her for lunch. He heard the shower running and began to cook the noodles, cutting the steak and preparing her meal. It was luck they had the noodles and meat on hand as Gaara was rather inept at cooking much else. It was thanks to Temari that he had learned to cook anything at all. Even so, her cooking wasn't much better than his.

A few minutes later the water shut off and Sakura appeared in the kitchen with wet hair and her usual red dress on. She smiled as Gaara ladled some of the noodles and steak into a bowl.

"Mmmmm something smells good. You didn't have to make lunch you know." She walked over to the table and sat down as he laid her a bowl down on the table in front of her.

"You deserve it." She gave him a thankful look before quietly beginning to eat her noodles.

"It's really good Gaara." He smiled as she took in great amounts, eating rather quickly. Gaara watched her with a thoughtful expression. She looked better now, much better, but he still couldn't shake the haunting image of her bloodied body lying on the snow covered ground. Something in him was disturbed by this more so than many others things he had seen. When she had finished, he carried their bowls into the kitchen as she went and sat on the couch in the living room.

Gaara came into the room soon after and sat next to her, letting her lean on him while he held her hand.

"Sakura I was thinking that we could get married soon. I want to get married to you and not have to hide to protect you. That mission made me realize that I need to be able to protect you in the open. I know you can handle yourself but, I can't go through seeing you like that again. Do you think we could get married in late January?" Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Gaara I'm willing to marry you right here, right now if that would be what you wanted. Late January sounds wonderful." She smiled and rubbed his hand softly with her thumb."I want to go back to that village and tell them who we really are. I think we owe it to Iori and his wife to pay a visit and not deceive them anymore." Sakura murmured.

"I was thinking about that earlier today. I wanted to go back and thank them for being so kind to us." She smiled at this and twisted the ring on her finger.

"Gaara, could we use this ring as the wedding ring as well? It is special to me." She said quietly.

"Of course." Gaara smiled softly down at her.

"Oh and one more thing, I want to tell Shikamaru about us being engaged. I think he might become our brother-in-law if he ever stops dragging his feet and asks Temari. He likes her and I'm sure she likes him too." Gaara nodded.

"Temari would accept him. But she would have a lot to deal with." Sakura laughed and nodded.

"That's Shikamaru for you. Genius and strategist but very lazy. Still, it'll be nice to have him in our family." She smiled up at him as the word 'family' settled over them both. Gaara decided he liked the sound of that.

"If you are up for a walk, we could go and see if Shikamaru is home." Sakura nodded and stood, Gaara observing her to be sure she was better.

"I think a walk would do me good. I feel much better now. The medics healed everything they needed to. I just need to take it easy." She followed Gaara to the door where he handed her coat. She shrugged it on as he opened the door for her and they walked out into the snow. They turned down the street, Sakura leading Gaara as they headed towards the Nara compound.

The Nara compound was further out in Konoha, on the edge of the extensive woods that were owned by the Nara family. They stopped as they approached the house, immediately noticing the person they were looking for lying on the roof, watching the clouds despite the cold. Sakura rolled her eyes and knocked on the door to his house, deciding to go the formal route in place of simply retrieving Shikamaru. Yoshino Nara opened it and immediately smiled at Sakura.

"Sakura, it's good to see you." Her eyes drifted behind Sakura and immediately she bowed, noticing Gaara standing there quietly. "Kazekage-sama, what a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, come in!" She swiftly ushered them inside. Gaara gave her a nod and followed her into the house, removing their boots as Yoshino observed them both quietly. After a moment she spoke again. "Kazekage-sama did you need me to get my husband? He is currently out but I could contact him if necessary." Gaara shook his head.

"I'm actually here to see Shikamaru, I have some business I need to discuss with him." She nodded, her brown eyes glancing to Sakura who merely smiled and nodded to let Yoshino know there wasn't a problem.

"I will go get him for you then." She smiled and walked out of the room to get Shikamaru looking the picture of a gracious host.

Sakura heard a loud crash and a shout before a smiling Yoshino walked back into the room. Shikamaru walked in behind her, rubbing the back of his neck and grumbling. He stopped when he saw Sakura and immediately furrowed his brow when he saw Gaara.

"Gaara, Sakura, do you need me for something?" Gaara nodded and Sakura looked at Shikamaru with a look that meant he had no cause for alarm. Shikamaru nodded to her and then turned to Gaara, who had begun to speak.

"We would like to discuss something important with you. Do you mind if we talk in private?" Shikamaru nodded and motioned for them to follow him. Yoshino let them leave, her eyes following their every footstep as she wondered what was going on.

The trio walked down the hall to the shoji room, sitting down on the cushions around the table. Shikamaru looked at them and stretched before leaning forwards slightly and resting his chin on his hand.

"So what is it that you needed to discuss?" He gave them both a measured stare before looking at Gaara, silently analyzing his movements.

"I wanted to talk to you about this before confronting the Hokage with the details of the situation. I was hoping you could help me find a way to present it to her. It is an issue that pertains to both of our villages." Shikamaru furrowed his brow and took his chin off of his hand, regarding the situation with a bit more seriousness.

"So it is a big decision then if it affects both the villages. What I need to know now is what exactly it is we are talking about." He looked at Sakura who stared back at him, urging him to direct his attention to Gaara.

"You know that I have made an alliance with Konoha." Shikamaru nodded, his eyes flickering to the red head once more.

"I know that much, but that isn't a change, it has been like that since you were first named Kazekage. Unless, you plan to break that alliance." He furrowed his brow again and stared at Gaara with a calculating look. "Though I doubt that is the case."

Gaara nodded. "I intend to make it stronger." Shikamaru nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Depending on the nature of the agreement, you just need to propose that to her and she will probably go along with it and make changes as necessary." Gaara nodded.

"I have already suggested that to her and she agreed to it but I left out the details." They all looked up as the door opened and Yoshino entered carrying a plate of tea. Sakura smiled and thanked her as she set it down on the table. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at his mother as she walked back out of the room. If she wasn't a Nara and his mother, he'd suspect her of eaves dropping. Shikamaru picked up his tea and looked back at Gaara.

"So what is the proposal you made?" Gaara set his jaw and looked at Shikamaru.

"I intend to marry someone from Konoha to strengthen the alliance." Shikamaru was a bit surprised by this but quickly recovered, giving a serious nod.

"Logical, though I didn't see it coming. You never seemed like the marrying man but I've misjudged before." He paused and regarded the two of them with a strangely suspicious look. "What are the details you left out that might upset her?" He raised the tea to his lips and took a sip as Gaara spoke.

"I'm marrying Sakura." Shikamaru coughed a bit as the tea slid down the wrong pipe, hitting his chest before looking at Gaara and Sakura who was, at the moment, avoiding eye contact and stifling what appeared to be a smile.

"You two are getting married?" He looked at Gaara with a surprised expression rarely seen on the genius's features. Shikamaru froze for a moment and then shook his head, reverting back to formality. "I suppose congratulations are in order. I suspected that something was going on due to the odd circumstances of your arrival Gaara, but I had no idea you were so serious." Sakura inwardly wondered if the shadow wielder knew how quickly it had really happened.

"Thank you Shikamaru, you're the first person we've told." Sakura looked at Gaara for a moment and then turned back to Shikamaru. He nodded.

"I can understand why. Secrecy is key until you can settle this with Tsunade. Sakura is her apprentice and one of the top medics at the hospital along with being our best field medic. If she leaves it will create a large shift in the medical field." He furrowed his brow again and looked at them both. "I see how this is a change. I'll come with you to talk to her. I think if you explain the benefits of a strengthened alliance between Suna and Konoha she might be more compliant. Konoha also has her medical expertise as well as Shizune's and all of the medics they have trained. Suna, as I understand, doesn't have anyone anywhere close to their caliber." Gaara nodded.

"The hospital is greatly lacking. I've been trying to help by increasing funding where I can but I can't train new medics." Shikamaru nodded.

"I think we should get it done sooner than later." He focused in on Sakura and then spoke again. "I think you should be resting. Naruto told me you were released from the hospital today. It was an A Rank mission correct?" Sakura looked at Shikamaru for a moment, registering that the topic had changed back to her, before nodding.

"Yes it was A Rank. I am alright and I am also a medic who knows what her limits are. I think I can handle a little talk with my Shishou." She raised an eyebrow daring him to challenge her statement as he merely shrugged.

"Alright. I suppose we'd better get going." He stood and turned for a moment, as if forgetting something. "Did Temari and Kankuro report back to Suna alright?" He asked this as if he was rather bored, trying to hide the obvious favoring towards Temari.

"They are both doing well. I am sure they were happy to have seen you on their last mission." He nodded and looked at Sakura and Gaara in time to see them smiling at each other briefly.

"I don't envy you. You'll have to deal with Lee and Naruto, not to mention all of Sakura's fan club." He shook his head as Sakura groaned.

"I forgot about them! I think Naruto will be ok, but Lee, well that will be interesting." She shrugged and then smiled, clapping Shikamaru on the back in a way that made him rub his chest briefly as he felt the air escape his lungs "Well I've got you two to help me out! Ah I almost forgot! Shika can we tell your mom? I mean can she keep a secret?" He gave her a blank look and then sighed.

"She won't tell a soul, but you are going to have to tell her, not me." Sakura waved him off and nodded before walking out of the shoji room and down to the kitchen where Yoshino stopped putting dishes away and looked at them.

"Are you leaving? I hope Shikamaru was able to help you Kazekage-sama." Shikamaru leaned against the door frame smiling smugly as Yoshino looked from her son to Gaara and Sakura.

"He was." Gaara glanced Sakura and nodded.

"Yoshino, Shikamaru is helping us to explain to Tsunade-sama that Gaara and I are engaged." Yoshino's eyebrow launched skywards, her gaze flickering to Shikamaru who merely smiled. She then promptly began to grin.

"I'm so glad you found someone Sakura. Congratulations, both of you! When are you getting married?" She smiled at them both, taking Sakura's hand and complimenting the ring at the same time.

"Sometime later this month. This is politically sensitive as I'm sure you're aware. Only the four of us can know for now." Yoshino put her hand on her hip and smiled.

"You don't have to worry about me. Unlike the Yamanaka's the Nara's take our secrets seriously. I won't tell a soul." Sakura beamed at her as Shikamaru moved forwards.

"We have to get going now. I'll be back later." He drawled as he moved past his mother who rolled her eyes at her son.

"Good luck with the Hokage." She murmured and winked as Sakura waved her goodbyes and the trio shrugged their jackets back on again, heading out into the snow once more.

End of Chapter 30


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara continues to be sweet, they tell Tsunade.

"Sakura, I'm glad you chose to tell me first. You've become one of my closest friends. I think I would have a problem if you were going to marry someone undeserving of you but I can see that you and Gaara are perfectly matched. I'm happy for you both." Shikamaru suddenly mentioned as soon as they had exited the Nara compound.

"Thank you Shikamaru, you've always been sort of like a brother to me. Naruto, Ino, even the quiet people in our friend group, you're all like family. I wouldn't have it any other way." He met her eyes for a moment and Sakura could see that he felt the same.

They said nothing more as they turned up the path to the Hokage Tower and ascended the snow covered steps to Tsunade's office. Sakura took a deep breath before opening the door to the tower.

Once inside they were met with comfortable warmth. Sakura immediately walked over to the desk at the far end of the room, noticing Shizune with her head down on the desk fast asleep. Shikamaru shook his head.

"I would hate to have her job. How are we going to get her up?" Sakura held up a finger and walked over to the desk, leaning towards Shizune.

"Shizune. Shizunnneeeee!" Sakura called softly to her, shaking her shoulder slightly. She huffed and moved a bit, but didn't wake up. Sakura shook her head and looked at Gaara and Shikamaru. "This always gets her up." She smiled at them and then turned to Shizune, putting her hands on her hips before taking a deep breath. "SHIZUNE! NO SLEEPING ON THE JOB!" She yelled at the sleeping woman in a near perfect impression of Tsunade.

Gaara and Shikamaru looked at each other for a moment, both silently noting that Sakura was a near carbon copy of her mentor when she wanted to be.

Shizune shot her head up like a rocket, immediately grabbing the first set of papers she could see in a knee-jerk reaction.

"Tsunade! I'm so sorry I was just so tired and I…." She trailed off as she looked up to see Sakura grinning triumphantly. "Oh Sakura that was not nice!" She looked up at Sakura with red cheeks as Sakura merely laughed.

"I did try to wake you gently, she's got you working too hard." She laughed as Shizune sighed in agreement.

"I assume you are here to see her. She's in her office, you can go on in. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Sakura nodded and thanked her.

Shikamaru walked over to the door to Tsunade's office, Sakura prodding him forwards first. He gave her a pointed look as if to ask why he was the sacrificial lamb before knocking once, opening the door and bowing slightly. Sakura and Gaara followed him inside, both giving each other a long glance as Shikamaru took the initiative to stand in front of Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade looked up from a stack of mission reports as soon as they walked in, her eyebrows raised incredulously at the trio now standing in her office.

"You are an unexpected group. I didn't send for you." She looked at them with her hands clasped together and her expression serious. Sakura nodded and walked up to her desk, standing alongside Shikamaru and Gaara. She stood silent for a moment as if to speak, grateful when Gaara noticed her trepidation and began to speak first.

"Tsunade-sama we are here to talk again about the alliance between Suna and Konoha. I've discussed things with Shikamaru and Sakura in order to have a better idea of the matter as a whole." Tsunade nodded.

"Sit down, all of you." They nodded and sat in the three chairs in front of her desk. "You two are aware that he plans to marry someone in Konoha correct?" Shikamaru and Sakura nodded. "Then I assume you have reasons that you think this will strengthen the alliance." Once again they nodded as Tsunade assessed them with a serious gaze. "Let's hear them. Shikamaru."

Shikamaru cleared his throat already expecting to be asked to speak first.

"The alliance will only be strengthened if the Kazekage marries a person of importance to Konoha. They must be someone with political sway or someone who has a sense of prestige. The person must be able to have an influence on Konoha and Suna in their negotiations. This opportunity will promote not only better trust between villages, but will also show to the other villages that our alliance is not transient." Tsunade nodded and sat back in her chair.

"You are correct in your assessment Shikamaru. Marriage to strengthen an alliance seems like a good idea, and sometimes it is. I am not opposed to the idea but those traits you mentioned pertain mostly to politics, and our political relations are already secure. So what is it you have to offer beyond this?" She looked at Sakura who spoke next.

"Shishou, we could link medical fields and practices with Suna. They have a lacking medical program and lose people that could be saved. By linking our research with theirs we can create a better medical community between the villages and share research. I know that when I saved Kankuro none of the nurses or doctors knew how to extract poison or how to craft antidotes swiftly. The best they could do was try and find an antidote that might work. Some of the things they were trying could have been lethal if I hadn't stopped them from using them." Tsunade nodded and looked over them all once more.

"That would require a medical professional." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I assume, since you are here, that you have already proposed. You are a fast worker." She looked pointedly at Gaara as she said this. "So Kazekage, do you have anything to add?" Gaara squared his shoulders and looked at her directly.

"I have decided who I am going to marry. At the last talk we had I was unable to say precisely who I had in mind since I had not yet asked. But now there are more things to discuss as the person I proposed to is important to this village in more ways than one and her leaving might will mean a shift in the way things are." Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him.

"Kazekage-sama I hope you don't mean Shizune, I can't spare her and she is a bit too old for you." Gaara didn't react as Sakura gave her mentor a look of disbelief that quickly dissipated as soon as Gaara began to speak again.

"No I am not marrying Shizune. I have asked Sakura Haruno to marry me and she has agreed." Tsunade froze and looked between them with a blank expression. Sakura locked eyes with her mentor as Gaara and Shikamaru watched the silent exchange between student and teacher.

"You're marrying Gaara?" She repeated numbly. The others watched with bated breath as the realization began to sink in. "Sakura? You're marrying Sakura?" Tsunade's eyes darted between the two as Sakura's face twisted into one of slight panic for the split second before Tsunade began to laugh. Sakura watched her with wide eyes as her mentor didn't break anything or shout, but instead laughed.

"Shishou, you're ok with this?" Sakura squeaked out, her voice betraying her immense confusion.

Tsunade slowed her laughter and turned to Sakura with a smile. "To be honest, I can't believe you, of all people, are getting married. I was worried you were becoming like me, married to your work. But here you are, engaged to the Kazekage of Suna!" Sakura's eyes widened as Tsunade stood and chuckled walking over to her, as all three of the shinobi stiffened. Instead of doing anything rash, Tsunade clapped Sakura's shoulder firmly before standing in front of her with a smile on her face. Sakura immediately pulled herself out of her daze and stared at her Shishou in disbelief and amazement.

"You mean, you're not mad? Even though it means I'll have to leave Konoha?" Tsunade shook her head and sighed.

"I know as the Hokage, and as your mentor, I don't want you to go anywhere. I want you to stay and run the hospital and keep that blonde disaster in line." She sighed at this, obviously thinking of something Naruto had done or said recently before looking Sakura in the eyes once more with a small smile. "You remind me a lot of a younger version of myself and I hoped that one day you wouldn't want to be alone and married to your job anymore and that you'd want to find someone to share your life with. Naruto has begun to grow up and you, you should have a life of your own. I've always trained you hoping that someday, you would want to chart your own path. As your Hokage, and someone who thinks of you as her own child, I couldn't be happier for you." She smiled once more as Sakura's face softened.

"I'm really like a daughter to you Shishou?" Tsunade nodded and gave her a soft look.

"You've picked up a lot of my traits and some moments I think you're just like me. I won't ever have children but I think that, if you'd let me, I'd like to become your adoptive mother. I've actually been thinking about it for a while. I don't intend to replace your real mother, but sometimes it's nice to have relatives, even if you find them later in life." Tsunade smiled as Sakura's eyes began to water.

"Of course you can be my mother Shishou. You've always been like a mother to me."

Tsunade patted her arm lightly and then turned to Gaara, her face becoming dangerously serious. "Gaara if you ever hurt her, if you ever do anything to her that she does not like, I will come to Suna and kick your ass all the way to Kirigakure and feed you to the sharks. I don't care if you are the Kazekage, I'll do that and more if you mistreat her." He nodded resolutely as Tsunade's features relaxed slightly.

"I would never do that. You have my word." She nodded then turned to Shikamaru who was still standing with his mouth slightly ajar in the middle of the room.

"And you, what are you doing gaping there like a cod fish? You're supposed to be the genius; you must have known that I wouldn't be upset about this." Shikamaru huffed and rubbed his neck muttering something that sounded like "troublesome…" Sakura laughed as Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the Nara boy.

"Shishou, this is confidential for now, you know how the Elders are going to overreact. Not to mention Rock Lee and Naruto." Sakura grumbled, looking at her with a sort of pleading look. She nodded.

"It is your job to deal with Naruto and Lee; I wash my hands of that. I will help with the council but you will deal with the others alone." She chuckled slightly and leaned back in her chair looking between Gaara and Sakura. "I'm happy for you both." She gave them a small smile before bellowing, in her usual terrifying voice that made most people bolt for cover, "SHIZUNE!"

The three looked at each other with confused expressions, deciding to simply go along with Tsunade's strange change in mood. They heard rushed footsteps before the door flung open.

"Yes Tsunade-sama!" Shizune stood in the door, wide eyed and out of breath. Sakura looked at Tsunade with a quirked eyebrow as she calmly stared at Shizune.

"Do you know what they just told me?" She stated in her calm but somehow still just as terrifying voice.

"Uh no Tsunade-sama." She blurted out, very nervous due to Tsunade's treacherously calm demeanor. She laced her fingers in front of her making Shizune even more anxious than she already was. Her eyes were darting between Tsunade and Sakura who was doing her best to look just as confused as before, though she had a feeling Tsunade was teasing Shizune.

"We have a lot of planning to do. There is to be a large event soon and you will need to pull your weight and not sleep on the job." Shizune put her hands in front of her and started to plead as Sakura looked on with hidden amusement.

"Tsunade-sama! I'm so sorry! I will never sleep on the job again and I will help with anything you need me to!" Sakura started to giggle and Tsunade's façade finally cracked as she stood and walking over to a now very confused Shizune.

"Shizune it was a joke. You're doing fine and I'm giving you tomorrow off. But there is actually big news. For one, I now have a daughter." Shizune looked at her, her eyes growing wider as she looked at Tsunade with an utterly confused expression.

"But that would be…" She trailed off as Sakura smiled at her and her mouth popped open in sudden realization. "Oh! You mean Sakura! This is wonderful! It's just what you needed Tsunade-sama!" She smiled and Tsunade nodded.

"She is also getting married." Tsunade stated, giving Sakura a proud look as Shizune's hands flew to her mouth in disbelief.

"Oh Sakura, I'm so happy for you! Who's the lucky guy?" She cooed as Sakura grinned.

"Well, I'm marrying Gaara, the Kazekage." Shizune looked between them both, her mouth opening and shutting as she began to sway and promptly fainted, landing in Sakura's arms. The wave of emotions paired with her exhaustion proving to be too much for her. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head as Tsunade chuckled at Gaara's furrowed brow.

"She'll be fine. She gets too emotional sometimes. Sakura, put her in my chair, she'll be up in a minute or two." Sakura nodded, placing Shizune carefully in Tsunade's chair before turning back to the blonde. She gave her a small smile that Tsunade quickly returned. "I really am happy for you Sakura. You have grown so much since I first met you as that determined little wisp of a girl. I'm proud that you have found something else to hold on to." She glanced at Gaara and smiled in a way that she rarely did. "Be sure to hold onto this, what you have, not many of us get to have it and I'm sure I don't need to tell you how important it can be." Gaara nodded as Tsunade looked back at Sakura. "And Sakura, make sure you let me help with anything you need." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"I will Shishou. Oh and Shishou?"

"Yes Sakura what is it?" She gave Sakura a questioning glance.

"We were wondering if we could go back to the village where we performed our most recent mission and tell the bartender who we really are." Tsunade thought about this for a moment and then nodded.

"I owe him for his great hospitality to you. Be sure to give him my thanks." Sakura thanked her and grinned as Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, enough of the sweetness. Don't you three have some idiots to find?" She smirked as Sakura sighed and nodded.

"Thank you for your acceptance Tsunade-sama." Gaara bowed slightly as Tsunade waved him away. Shikamaru waved over his shoulder as he followed Sakura and Gaara out of Tsunade's office.

As soon as they were outside Sakura sighed. "So, now that Shishou is on board, who do you want to tackle first?" She looked at Gaara and Shikamaru who were both walking with rather relaxed looks upon their faces.

"We should tell Kankuro and Temari first. They are my siblings after all. I'll send them a messenger bird telling them I'm getting married and I guarantee that they will be here in two days time." Gaara looked to Sakura who nodded decisively.

"Oh it will be so nice to see them again! Don't you think so Shikamaru?" Sakura gave him a sly look to which he promptly turned away and muttered something about 'troublesome women.' He turned back to Sakura after a moment, noticing her pleased look.

"You're something else Sakura. Gaara take care of her." Gaara looked at Shikamaru and nodded, giving him a knowing look that he returned with a small quirk of his eyebrow.

Sakura, catching the look Gaara gave Shikamaru, merely shook her head and sighed. "Shikamaru, I think I owe you some snacks and tea for all your help. Come on in!" Sakura chirped, walking up her steps ahead of the boys. She opened the door and walked inside with Shikamaru and Gaara behind her.

"Thanks." He took off his shoes and coat, hanging it on the rack before following Gaara into the living room and immediately finding a spot on the couch. "So, this may seem sudden but when are you moving to Suna?" Gaara looked at Sakura who had come back into the room carrying a tray with food. She gave Gaara a sideways look before sitting down next to him.

"I haven't really thought about that." He replied.

"I didn't really think you needed to, to be honest, I already know the answer." Sakura chimed in. Shikamaru smiled slightly as he leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms in front of him as he did so. "You're the Kazekage and I know you can't leave your people. I can leave Konoha. Besides they are only three days apart, it's easy to come back when I want to. You come to Konoha a lot for meetings and such and I'll come with you. We can take vacations here. I'm gone so much from this house anyways, it's almost as if nobody lives here. I can always let Shizune stay here instead of in the apartment she's renting. It's really quite simple. I'll move as soon as we're married." Sakura shrugged and Gaara sighed.

"I know it's the decision we made, I just hate to make you leave Konoha." Shikamaru cut in with a dignified snort.

"She'll be missed but, she is right. Between the hospital and her missions, we rarely see her anyways. She'll do more good in Suna than she can do here. She'll also be more challenged and I know she thrives on that." Gaara regarded Shikamaru for a moment as the shadow wielder suddenly stood. "I'll go and call the messenger bird for you." He walked over to the door and opened it, walking out into the street before making a hand signal. A bird came a few moments later, landing on his arm without a sound. He walked up into Sakura's house and held the bird while Gaara wrote a note to his siblings on the provided paper.

_Kankuro and Temari,_

_Do not be alarmed by this message, there is no danger. This is confidential information so please do not share it with anyone and read it in private._

_I am happy to inform you that I am getting married at the end of this month. I will give you the details later. I will be back a little later than expected, you understand._

_-Gaara_

He marked the letter as secret and tied it to the bird, letting it fly away to Suna. They both walked back inside where Sakura had relocated herself into the kitchen.

"Shikamaru, do you want to stay for dinner?" She asked, sticking her head out into the living room.

"If it is alright. My mother has been experimenting lately." He sat on the couch and began to talk to Gaara as Sakura made a nice soup and dished it out into three bowls. She handed one to Gaara and one to Shikamaru before sitting between them on the large couch.

"Enjoy!" Sakura smiled cheerfully.

"This is delicious, thank you Sakura." Shikamaru said. Sakura beamed.

"Thanks Shikamaru! I'm glad you like it. Oh! I forgot to mention that tomorrow we are all going out to eat. It was Naruto's idea to celebrate my release from the hospital. Do you want to come with us?" He sighed but then nodded.

"It's always troublesome, but I really have no choice. Ino will drag me there even if I refuse to go." Sakura rolled her eyes but knew he was telling the truth. Gaara watched them interact with a small smile on his face.

"I'm glad that you are Sakura's friend and mine as well. It makes me feel better about her safety should she ever come to Konoha alone. You will have to visit us in Suna soon." He nodded to him.

"You can come out for the wedding in Suna as well! It will be nice to have someone else other than the entirety of Suna at our political wedding. I figured I'd ask, seeing as you're already coming to our private wedding." She gave a small shrug with her shoulders and smiled at Shikamaru brightly.

"Weddings are such a pain. I'll come though, since it is you two." Sakura rolled her eyes and tapped his arm lightly as she stood up, grabbing the empty bowls to bring them into the kitchen.

"I understand your reluctance completely. If I could get out of the official wedding in Suna, I would." Sakura agreed.

"Archaic rules are rather troublesome, but I suppose the publicity is good for the people. They like to know what is going on with their leaders and protectors."

Gaara nodded and initiated another conversation; very much liking the shadow wielder's input.

When Sakura came back Gaara and Shikamaru were talking about the tensions between the rouges and the mounting occurrences of clashes between them and the other shinobi.

"They haven't been a problem until now. I heard about the mission Sakura was on and apparently Tsunade is very concerned about an unidentified escort called "Gen" that was with Sakura." Sakura exchanged a guilty glance with Gaara that Shikamaru immediately noticed. "You snuck with her on the mission?" He shook his head and looked at them both with a slightly exasperated stare. Sakura was blushing and Gaara shrugged.

"I'm glad I went, it could have ended badly." Shikamaru nodded.

"Most likely." Sakura looked puzzled and turned to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru do you know the name of the woman the ANBU returned with today? The one with the purple hair?" Shikamaru screwed up his face in thought.

"Tara was her name. She defected from the Sound a while ago but once worked under Orochimaru. Apparently there weren't enough world conquering people trying to take over. We've already had enough trouble with Orochimaru's stragglers popping up in places we don't expect, we don't need more. Ibiki is upset that she's dead, he wanted to see all of her motives." Gaara frowned at this.

"She almost killed Sakura and there was reason to kill her. It was a kill or be killed situation, Ibiki should be aware of that." Shikamaru nodded.

"I'm glad she's dead for Sakura's sake as well as Konoha's." Sakura nodded.

"Konoha does not need another threat. I can't help but think that both villages will be so much safer with our combined protection." Shikamaru agreed with this. As he looked over he noticed that Sakura looked more tired that she had earlier.

"I'd better head out and let you rest Sakura. You were only just discharged from the hospital." Sakura smiled as Shikamaru stood and looked at them both for a moment. "You know, I'm glad you found each other. It's not easy in this life and I think sometimes it makes the world a bit easier when you have someone to rely on." Sakura's face softened as Shikamaru rubbed his neck and sighed. "Well, I will come back tomorrow if that's all right with you. We need to discuss how to present this to the elders and the council." He sighed again as Sakura scowled a little.

"Those pompous old geezers will be in deep trouble if they say anything against it. Shishou will back me up in that." Gaara nodded.

"Kankuro and Temari will also back us up as well as Shikamaru and probably anyone who knows about it. We'll be fine." He put his arm around Sakura's shoulders as they walked Shikamaru to the door and said goodbye to him. He nodded and walked out into the snow covered streets. Sakura shut the door and sighed slightly as Gaara held her.

"We've accomplished a lot today. You have an adoptive mother; we told Shikamaru and his mother we are engaged. We gained the Hokage's approval as well as Shikamaru's and sent a message to my siblings. But one thing is troubling me a little." Sakura looked at him with a confused look.

"What is it?" He looked at her calmly.

"Kankuro and Temari will want to stay here. That means that I'll have to stay in the guest room to make things less awkward." Sakura laughed.

"Oh dear that is an issue. Well I have two extra guest rooms that they can stay in, they are small but functional. Kankuro can have the room across from yours and Temari can have the one next to mine. This house was built for a family so I have plenty of room." She smiled and then yawned widely.

"That is the cue that you need to go to bed."

"I am kind of tired and I do need to rest so I think I will go to bed." She gave him a sleepy smile.

"I'll go change and take care of some of my notices, then I will come join you." She let go of his hand and smiled before walking down the hall to her room.

In that moment Gaara felt as if he might sleep well if he tried to sleep that night. It was odd, being able to sleep made him even more tired than when he was unable to get any sort of rest at all. Quietly, he made his way down to the guest room to change his clothes.

The notices he had received while they were out were thankfully only a small amount. One was from the elders in Suna, demanding that he get some kind of work done while he was away. To this he merely frowned and tossed it aside. They were always on his case about working. It was as if they thought he did nothing at all other than sit in his office. Well, he had certainly gotten some 'work' done while he was in Konoha. He smirked, thinking of how they would undoubtedly react when they heard he had not only decided to marry, but had chosen one of the most powerful kunoichi in the hidden villages.

The other notices were of less importance. An invite from a lord to a banquet, which he would not attend, a notice from the Academy teachers on the progression of the students, and finally a simple reminder to check in with the Hokage before he left Konoha. He wrote quick replies to all of them, making sure to be rather sharp in the letter to the elders.

He then stood and began to undress, pulling off his clothes and replacing them with his usual sleeping outfit. He was about to place the notices in a bag when he heard a shriek. Immediately, he dropped the notices and raced down the hall and into Sakura's bedroom.

He found her sitting up in bed, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. He sent his sand out to check the room, finding no traces of an intruder. He walked swiftly over to her and sat down, pulling her close as she scooted into his side. "What's the matter Sakura?" He looked down at her with slight concern as she loosened up and sighed.

"It's nothing, I just, had a nightmare." His eyes softened as she looked away for a moment.

"It's fine Sakura. I'm familiar with the feeling of having nightmares. Temari says sometimes it helps to talk about them." She looked at him and then down at her hands.

"I was fighting that woman again, Tara. She had captured you and Shikamaru and everyone I love. She was torturing you all. I was begging her to stop, to kill me and to let you all go, but she just laughed and then shrieked that horrible scream that made me feel like I was dying. Then you all disappeared and I was all alone with her. She kept shrieking and I was so scared and in so much pain. I haven't reacted this way since I was a child. Missions don't normally follow me home like this. When I woke up I could still hear her shrieking." Gaara stroked her back slightly, comforting her like he had seen others do.

"The rare times I slept as a child, I had the worst nightmares that tormented me even after I woke up. Temari said that she used to hear me screaming from the other side of the house, I stopped being able to sleep a little while after that. After I was captured by the Akatsuki and Shukaku was removed, I could sleep again and some of the nightmares returned." He paused for a moment as Sakura nodded for him to continue.  "I want to tell you something Temari told me. When you wake up, remember, no matter how hard it is, that it was just a dream and you are completely safe." Sakura looked up at him in wonder that he had shared something so personal with her.

"I want you to know that you are safe. I will never let anything harm you while you are near me." He kissed her forehead gently as she nodded once more. She wrapped her arms around him and he held her, simply holding her close to him.

"Thank you Gaara." She whispered.

"Anything for you Sakura." He whispered back as he lay down on the pillow letting her snuggle close to him with her head resting on his shoulder. _"Anything for you."_

End of Chapter 31


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends are invaluable. Especially when they are geniuses.

Sakura felt so much safer that she felt herself falling back asleep much faster than she thought possible. The nightmares were replaced by Inner, who decided that then would be a good time to show up.

**_"Awwww what a gallant gentleman Gaara is now!"_ ** _She cooed. Sakura merely sighed._

_"Hello Inner what do you want?" Inner pouted._

**_"Hey that's not fair I just wanted to talk!"_ ** _Sakura nodded and sat on the couch next to Inner._

_"So what is it you want to discuss?" Inner smiled happily and looked at Sakura._

**_"Well you know, I was thinking how much he has changed. Would you ever have thought he could be this different? He actually feels for you and he smiles now. I would have never thought that he of all people would smile. You know, I think that you have had a huge impact on him. I'm glad. Oh and I just wanted to say that I'm happy that you are getting married and I'll be here to help you with anything, you know, on the honeymoon…."_ ** _Sakura cut her off quickly._

_"Well I'd best be going, see you later Inner!"_

Sakura opened her eyes and blinked at the sunlight peeking in from behind the curtain over her window. The air was cold but the warmth from behind her comforted her greatly.

She rolled over quietly and saw Gaara's figure lying next to her. His breathing was soft and even, something that seemed to calm her. She smiled and reached up to take a strand of red hair between her fingers. She was studying him in her own way. His pale skin and red hair were a stark contrast, but were something that suited him greatly.

The kanji on his forehead was slightly raised above his skin, something one didn't notice unless they were standing incredibly close. The black circles that framed his eyes were not from makeup, as some people speculated, but were markings such as that of Naruto's whiskers or Kiba's fang marks. Every feature was perfect to her. Her eyes took time to analyze every one of his features individually, before taking in the whole of his sleeping form.

The steady rise and fall of his chest seemed to synchronize with hers. He had a firm chest, like most shinobi, where corded and lean muscle had built up over years. It was something that Sakura appreciated. She put a hand against his chest cautiously and felt his steady heartbeat. It calmed her and she was so lulled by it that she didn't notice his turquoise eyes watching her.

"Hmmm this is a nice way to wake up." He murmured, making her head snap up to his face. His eyes lazily watched her as a small, relaxed smile played on his lips. "Were you watching me?" He asked, playing with a pink lock of hair that had fallen into her face. She averted her gaze.

"Well I didn't want to get up so I stayed here." He chuckled a little, amused at her bashfulness.

"I don't mind Sakura. Don't be so quick to apologize." His calm eyes looked into her emerald ones and she smiled. "I don't feel like getting up today, I might just want to lay here. I'm comfortable." He mused, his fingers tracing her jaw line softly. He moved them down her neck, his eyes following them as they came to rest on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He smiled and began to lazily trace the kanji that lay there. "It suits you." He looked up at her and stroked her face with the back of his hand. "You are beautiful." She looked at him, her emerald eyes questioning and happy.

"Really? I never thought I would ever in my life hear Sabaku no Gaara say that to me. Or are you just complimentary and funny in the mornings and nobody's noticed?"

"You've helped me change. You, Suna and Konoha." He whispered and let her kiss him softly. She looked into his turquoise eyes as he pulled away from her and saw that the hurt she had noticed so often was almost gone. She knew that it would always be there, as it was with most who had been mistreated or had lost someone dear, but his eyes now held love and happiness as well. This was something that made Sakura smile. He looked at her, amused at her sudden smile. "Is something funny Sakura?" She shook her head.

"I'm just happy that's all." He lifted his head up.

"Then I am happy." Sakura smiled as he caught one of her pink locks in his fingers and moved it behind her ear.

"Gaara are you going to stay here all day?" He said nothing as she gave him a sideways glance. "I need to get up and get ready for Temari and Kankuro. You know, your siblings, and my future siblings. You can stay here if you'd like." She waved him away and sat up, swinging her legs out of the bed. She moved to stand up when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"Temari and Kankuro will be here in two more days." He watched her exasperated smile.

"I'm going to go make breakfast. You can stay here or you could come with me. But Shikamaru is going to be here today so we do need to get up."

"I suppose we do have to see him today and we have the dinner tonight as well." Sakura nodded.

"Yes we do, so I'm afraid you'll have to leave so I can get dressed." He stood up and left the room without protest.

Sakura was still smiling as she went to take her morning shower, feeling in amazingly good spirits despite the nightmare she had had the night before.

Gaara walked down the hallway and into the bathroom, stripping his clothes and setting them on the counter before turning on the water for the shower. He was sure to take a quick shower, wanting to change into his clothes before Sakura walked out of her room.

He grabbed the towel and dried off his hair, smiling at the memory of when he had first arrived in Sakura's house. She had ran into him directly after his shower and had looked so flustered that he was sure her face was the deepest shade of red he had ever seen on a human.

 _"That was one of the first times I actually smiled because of her. When she blushed and ran away."_ He wrapped the towel around his waist before walking down the hall to his room. He shut the door and began pulling on his clothing as a savory scent wafted into his room. Assuming Sakura had already begun to cook, he walked out of the room and headed directly for the kitchen.

"Gaara do you like omelets?" She called down the hall as he walked into the kitchen just as she turned around.

"Yes." She smiled and put one on his plate.

"I figured you would." She looked at the omelet with a sideways glance. "I put some herbs in it, let me know if it's any good."

"I'm sure they are." They ate their food quickly and spent their time talking about the weather report on TV which was reporting a light snow shower to be arriving in a few days.

"Kankuro and Temari are going to be surprised. I don't think they will be accustomed to the snow despite their last mission." Sakura laughed. "I can't wait to see Kankuro walking through the snow in those sandals of his. Do they even own closed toed shoes?" Gaara nodded.

"It gets down to freezing in the desert at night so they are used to drastic temperature. As for snow, well that is something they are not used to. They've never been to Konoha in the winter other than passing through for missions. Until now they haven't had a reason to."

"Well I hope they will like it. Or at least tolerate it." Gaara found himself wondering the same.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Sakura stood up, opening the door to see Shikamaru standing there. "Shikamaru, come in it's warm in here." He nodded and walked inside, hanging his cloak on a peg near the door. Sakura led him into the living room and brought in some tea for all of them before sitting down next to Gaara on the couch across from Shikamaru.

"I've talked to my father about the situation concerning the elders and he thinks that if you already have a set date for the wedding then they will have less of an ability to refuse." Gaara nodded.

"What day do you think would be best Sakura?" He said looking at her. She stood up and got her calendar from the kitchen wall.

"Well we want it near the end of January." She pointed to the last two weeks in January and looked at Gaara. "We need time to get things settled and that may take a week. So maybe about a week and a half from now?" She looked at Shikamaru and Gaara who were studying the calendar.

"That gives you twelve days to plan since today is the fourth." Shikamaru stated, waiting for them to answer. Gaara nodded.

"That is fine."

"Now that that is settled, what are we going to need for the wedding?" She looked at Gaara and Shikamaru who returned her look with blank stares.

"In Suna we do weddings differently. I myself have only been to a few in my role as Kazekage." Sakura nodded then looked at Shikamaru who gave her a look that questioned why she was looking at him for help with a wedding.

"Well we can talk to Shishou and see what she can help with. I know we need a guest list first and foremost." Sakura stated.

"I assume the entire Rookie Nine plus Team Gai." Shikamaru stated. Sakura nodded. "And the Sensei." She nodded again, writing them down on a piece of paper she had grabbed. "Their immediate families and the Hokage to officiate." He continued.

"Don't forget Jiraiya, though he is a pervert, he is Naruto's mentor. Oh and Gaara do you think we could invite the ANBU Kaguri? I know we won't know his true identity but he helped us so much." He nodded.

They all looked at the list and added Temari and Kankuro onto the end.

"Well, it isn't exactly small, but it's our friends and that is what matters." Sakura declared. "When we tell Kakashi I'd like for him to give me away. It's rather traditional but I think it would be nice."

"He'll like that I think." Shikamaru stated.

"So Shikamaru, what do you propose we do to combat the elders?" Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand along his pulled back hair.

"I suppose you just tell them exactly what you plan to do and let Tsunade back you up." Sakura rolled her eyes as Shikamaru shrugged. "They have no power to go against both the Hokage and the Kazekage. I think it will be a rather one-sided argument."

Sakura stretched and shrugged. "Well, now that that's settled, would you both like to go for a walk? I want to see Choji, I haven't seen him in quite a while." Shikamaru nodded.

"I've been meaning to see him." Without any more discussion they headed to the door. Once there they all began pulling on coats and boots before venturing out into the snow.

It was still bitterly cold and Sakura could feel the change in air pressure signaling that weather was on the way. She smiled and breathed in the cold air. The two boys followed her, discussing something about the elders control as they rounded the corner onto the main road.

"Sakura-chaaaan!" Almost immediately, a loud voice broke the calm atmosphere as a blonde haired orange and black blur ran through the street and nearly tackled Sakura into the snow.

"Naruto what are you doing?" Sakura hissed as the blonde grabbed her arms and pushed himself behind her.

"Hiding from Konohamaru! Don't let him see me!" He tried to hide behind the much smaller form of Sakura who sighed and shook her head.

"Naruto, go hide behind a building or something, you're much too big to hide behind me!" She pried his hands off her arms and walked away with Gaara and Shikamaru, leaving behind a rather distraught Naruto who immediately began calling after them.

"Sakura-chan! Hey wait for me!" He moved to run towards them just as Konohamaru's voice rang out into the air.

"There he is!" The trio watched as Naruto took off again, turning the corner with blazing speed just before Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon took off after the loudmouth blonde. Shikamaru shook his head as Sakura tsked.

"He still manages to get into trouble way too often."

"He never learns does he?" Shikamaru shook his head. "Choji's house is right up ahead." Sakura and Gaara followed him onto the side road that lead to Choji's house.

"I haven't seen him since Christmas, this will be nice." Sakura chimed in happily as they walked up the path to his house and knocked on the door. Choji's mother answered it and immediately began smiling at them all.

"Oh Sakura! Shikamaru! Oh Kazekage-sama it is a pleasure to have you! Come in all of you! I just finished making some cookies would you like some?" She smiled and held a tray out to them as they each took one and thanked her. She beamed at them all and gave a small bow to Gaara who returned it.

"We are here to see Choji, is he here?" Shikamaru asked. She nodded.

"He's outside near the pine trees." They thanked her and walked out the door and around to the back of the house. Choji was sitting in the snow under a tree, munching on a cookie when Shikamaru and Sakura came walking across the yard with Gaara behind them.

"Oy Sakura, Shikamaru!" He smiled at them casually before noticing Gaara. "Oh Kazekage-sama!" He stood up quickly and walked over to them, his face suddenly looking serious. "What is it? Is there something wrong?" Shikamaru shook his head.

"No we are just here on a visit." Choji rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"Eh I guess I'm just not used to seeing you around here without something going on Kazekage-sama." Gaara shook his head.

"Please call me Gaara." Choji froze and then quickly smiled, always quick to adapt.

"Alright then, Gaara it is! So Shikamaru, I was about to go get something to eat for lunch, do you want to join me? Naruto said we were all going out for barbeque tonight but I figured we could get some ramen from Ichiraku's now if you'd like." He smiled broadly at the group.

"Sure Choji! I haven't been to Ichiraku's in a while. I was on a mission recently and was thinking about going there when I got back." Choji smiled as they all walked back to the front of the house and out onto the street.

The walk to the market street was relatively quiet. Choji had started up a conversation with Shikamaru and Gaara and Sakura were content with small glances exchanged between them as they walked. They neared Ichiraku's and walked under the banner, immediately sitting down on the stools.

Choji and Sakura sat on the left of Gaara with Shikamaru on the right. They all ordered their ramen and then immediately fell back into casual conversation. Sakura and Choji were laughing together and Gaara was talking to Shikamaru.

"Sakura, I heard you were in the hospital, what happened?" Choji mentioned this rather quietly to her, causing Gaara and Shikamaru to turn towards them.

"Well I was injured on a mission and ran out of chakra to heal myself. I lost a lot of blood and they just needed to heal me better than what I was able to do. In the end it was really just the loss of blood and chakra that got me." She smiled at him and Choji nodded seriously.

"I'm glad you're all right now. I can't have one of my friends hurt!" He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Thanks Choji that means a lot to me." Gaara and Shikamaru resumed their conversation and continued to eat their ramen, laughing at Choji's jokes. When they had all finished and paid for the ramen they parted ways saying that they would see each other later.

Sakura and Gaara waved goodbye to Shikamaru and Choji who walked the other direction down the street towards their homes.

"I feel like I could walk around a little more. Gaara, would you like to go to the river? We could sit and watch the people skate." Gaara nodded as they set off towards the Konoha bridge. They found a bench and sat down, watching as the peopled glided past them. They had been there for a little over a minute when a little girl saw Sakura and immediately began skating towards them.

"Hey! You're the lady that fixed my knee when I fell!" She grinned at Sakura with a gap-toothed smile, as Sakura smiled back.

"Oh I remember you! How are you doing? No more falls I hope." She smiled as the little girl vehemently shook her head.

"Nope! No more falls! I'm doing great! My name's Cho by the way." She stuck out a small hand and Sakura shook it gently.

"Nice to meet you Cho, I'm Sakura." The little girl's eyes widened and she smiled even more.

"I knew it! I knew you were the Hokage's apprentice! My mom told me about you, you know. She said you were really nice and always helped her when she was sick. She also said you were super strong and amazing at missions." Sakura was flattered by the little girl's compliment and couldn't help smiling even wider.

"I'm happy to help anyone who is sick or hurt, it's my job." Cho smiled and pointed to the ice.

"Do you want to come skate?" Sakura looked at Gaara who nodded for her to go as Sakura turned back to Cho.

"Sure! Let me get a pair of skates and I'll come with you." Cho smiled and then looked at Gaara with a large grin.

"He can come too." She smiled and Sakura turned to Gaara who nodded towards the girl and then walked with Sakura to get some skates with a happy Cho who bounded in front of them. They received their skates and walked back to the bench to put them on before following the overly-excited Cho out onto the ice.

"Momma, Daddy! Look who I found!" Cho squealed, skating over to a woman with brown hair that was skating next to a tall man. They both stopped as Cho slid to a stop next to them and pointed to Sakura and Gaara who were currently skating towards them.

She watched as the woman and man gave each other surprised looks and then immediately bowed. Sakura glanced at Gaara and then plastered on her best smile at their politeness. "Hello it's nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Haruno."

"Oh Haruno-san I'm sorry about Cho! She gets so excited when she sees someone she knows." Sakura smiled at her and shook her head.

"It's fine, she was very polite and friendly." Cho smiled up at her father who picked her up in his arms.

"She has been talking about how you healed her ever since Christmas. We wanted to thank you for being so kind to her." Sakura smiled.

"It was no problem at all, it is my job after all." Cho's mother smiled and bowed once more, shooting a look to Gaara before going quite red in the face.

"I'm sorry to be leaving so soon but we were nearly done skating and must be going. It was an honor getting to talk to you Haruno-san, and thank you again for helping her." Cho's mother smiled at them and waved goodbye. Cho was set down by her father and quickly hugged Sakura before skating away with her parents who were having a whispered discussion with wide eyes. Sakura smiled as she watched them leave and then turned to Gaara.

"I think they recognized you." She teased as Gaara simply began skating across the ice and under the bridge where he proposed to her. "Still, they are a nice family." She smiled and laced her hands behind her back as they skated under the bridge.

They were silent for a few more minutes until Gaara asked her a question.

"So Sakura, what time do we have to go to dinner?" Sakura looked at him and shrugged.

"I think around five. So we have about three hours before we have to go." He smiled and nodded as she suddenly skated away from him with a playful look. He immediately skated after her, catching up to her and spinning her in a circle before they broke away and skated next to each other, both a little upset that they couldn't hold hands for fear someone would see.

 _"Well we will be married in twelve days and then there will be nothing to hide."_ Gaara thought as he watched Sakura's graceful form glide past him on the ice. He smiled and followed her across the river.

They skated for about two hours, talking and enjoying each other's company while absentmindedly skating around the ice.

Sakura sat down on the bench next to Gaara and unlaced her skates, wiggling her toes with a sigh before putting on her boots and walking with him to return their skates to the rental place. The path back to town was rather busy, much to Sakura's amusement as Gaara seemed exceedingly uncomfortable with the stares he was receiving. They browsed around in the market for a while before heading towards the barbeque place for dinner.

"Sakura-san, Gaara-sama!" Lee's voice resounded through the air, causing Sakura to sigh slightly as she noticed him happily waving to them from his place outside the restaurant. Tenten and Neji were standing next to him, obviously having been dragged along early by the enthusiastic Lee. Tenten smiled when she saw Sakura and immediately walked up to her, taking the opportunity to distance herself from Lee.

"Hey Sakura how are you doing? We all heard from Naruto that you were in the hospital. You look great so I'm sure he was just overreacting. Either way, I'm glad you made a full recovery." Sakura thanked her as they all walked inside and got a table.

A few minutes later Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji showed up. Sakura shot a look at Shikamaru as if to ask if then would be a good time to tell the group, to which she received a shake of the head. She nodded in return as the others greeted her as they all sat down at the table.

Gaara was sitting next to Sakura with Tenten on her other side. Tenten was next to Neji who was miffed at sitting next to Lee. Shikamaru had sat down in-between Choji and Ino, who had elbowed her way into the middle of the booth. Naruto sat on Gaara's other side near the end of the booth. A few minutes later Shino, Kiba, and Hinata showed up completing the group.

They all talked to each other laughing and checking over the menu before ordering. Choji insisted on ordering the large barbeque as Naruto added his input of ramen. Once the orders were placed, the conversation quickly went back to the small groups.

Eventually Naruto raised his voice above the others. "Oy Sakura-chan, what was Granny Tsunade talking about when she said that she had a daughter to Kurenai today?" Everyone at the table stopped talking and immediately looked at Sakura.

"Sakura is her adopted daughter, as of today." Shikamaru drawled, lazily playing with his glass as he observed everyone's reactions.

"You two were practically related already!" Naruto beamed from ear to ear as she rolled her eyes, grateful when everyone's food came and they started eating making small talk about everything that was going on and laughing at jokes they were telling. Even Shino and Neji seemed to be enjoying themselves.

End of Chapter 32


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siblings visit, Sakura and Gaara continue to be close.

"Sakura I think your mom would have been happy that Tsunade became your adoptive mother." Tenten smiled happily as Hinata nodded.

"Yes Sakura she would have liked that." She smiled at her quietly and went back to eating. Sakura noticed that her cheeks were rather pink and couldn't help but smile. She was always nervous around Naruto.

Said blonde was currently chatting to Kiba happily, making jokes back and forth and laughing at some stupid jokes.

"So Gaara how much longer are you going to be in Konoha?" Kiba asked, eating a hunk of steak he had speared on his chopstick. Sakura saw Neji wrinkle his nose at Kiba's manners and had to stop herself from laughing.

"A while longer, my siblings are on their way from Suna and I have some business I am still working on." Kiba nodded.

"Ah so Temari-san and Kankuro-san are coming. Where will they be staying?" Lee asked.

"At my house, I've got plenty of room." Sakura chimed in and Lee nodded.

"I'll have to stop and say hello, I haven't seen them in a long time and it is always good to see friends!" Sakura smiled and inwardly hoped Lee wouldn't drop by. They all talked for a while longer, eating until there was nothing left. Surprisingly, Ino was the first to stand up and grab her coat.

"I hate that I'm the first to leave but my dad has me working early at the flower shop tomorrow and he'll have my head if I'm tired while filling out orders. I'm glad you're home safe Sakura. I'll definitely catch up with you later!" Ino said goodbye to everyone and paid for her dinner before leaving.

Shino and Neji took this as an advantage and left right behind her. Hinata said goodbye to everyone and explained that Neji was walking her back to the Hyuuga compound. Sakura nodded and waved goodbye to her as she left.

The rest of them paid for their dinners and walked out into the snow together; laughing and calling goodbye to each other as they all walked their separate ways back home. Sakura took Gaara's hand and pulled him closer as they walked back in the dark. She let out a small sigh and squeezed his hand lightly.

They turned down to her street and walked up and into her house without saying a word. They walked inside and looked at the clock. It was almost nine and dinner had gone on longer than expected.

"So are you going to come into my room tonight or stay in your own?" Sakura yawned as she gave him a small glance.

"Hmm one last night, then I'll be stuck in my own room for twelve days." Sakura smiled at this and wondered quietly at just how much more open he had become. "I'll go get changed and meet you there." He walked into his room and shut the door before pulling on a black nightshirt and pants.

He walked down the hall and knocked on Sakura's door. She opened it and then walked over to the bed, flopping down and pulling up the covers around her as he sat down on the other side and did the same. She leaned into his side as he relaxed and noted that he was definitely becoming much more ok with this type of contact when it was with Sakura.

"It will be nice when we don't have to hold hands in the dark." She whispered after a few moments.

"It will be nice. But for now, I can live with this." He wrapped his arm around her small figure and she put her hand against his firm chest feeling his heartbeat and letting it lull her to sleep.

"I think I can as well." She whispered back as Gaara closed his eyes and thought of how much he would enjoy being able to openly protect her and show that they were together. His possessive side had been gnawing at him every time he noticed a man staring at her in the street.

Gaara looked down at her and watched as her breathing began to even out. He closed his eyes soon after and fell into a state of meditation that eventually led to sleep. He didn't dream of anything more than a simple happy feeling and was rather irritated when he was jarred out of his sleep by a high pitched beeping noise.

"Gaara can you shut that off?" Sakura mumbled into his shirt. He sighed and rolled over, shutting off the offending alarm clock. As he rolled back over he stared at her pink hair mussed from sleeping and her emerald eyes still blinking in the light.

"Why is it on anyways?" He asked a sleepy Sakura.

"Well I need to get ready for Kankuro and Temari. Also I have no idea what time they are going to get here and it would not be a good thing for them to find you in my room." She said, yawning and stretching. Gaara sighed as she leaned up and kissed his cheek, surprising him slightly.

"I'll make breakfast this morning and you can get yourself ready." He murmured softly as she shifted out of his space.

"Ok, there's miso in the fridge you can heat up in the microwave. I'll be out in a few minutes." He watched her for a moment as if debating something before getting up and walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Sakura sighed and took off her top and pants throwing them into the hamper in her closet along with her panties and bra. She undid the clasp on her necklace and smiled as the sand happily swirled faster at her touch. She set it on the counter and turned on the shower before stepping into the warm water.

Sakura always loved warm showers. She had stood in her shower bruised, bloody, heartbroken, and more than once in tears and had let the water wash away her troubles. She had found peace in her shower, peace and sanctuary and something to scrub away the reminders of her troubles. It was something that had gotten her through good times, bad times, and times when she wondered if she was even there at all.

This was one of the great times. When she rubbed the cherry shampoo into her pink hair she was doing so in a sense of serenity, gently washing her hair with lithe fingers as opposed to scrubbing it raw to erase her feelings. It was calming and she wanted to stand under the water a bit longer than needed. After about a minute of doing do she decided getting ready was more important.

She washed her body quickly before turning off the water and stepping into the chilly air, wrapping her towel around her and drying off quickly before blow drying her hair and putting the necklace back on around her neck. She grabbed another one of her high collared shirts and slipped it on. The red dress that she bought on her mission still hung in her closet and she couldn't help but smile at it.

 _"I should wear that soon. For some dinner or something."_ She ran her hand over the silky surface for a moment before shutting her closet. She shoved the door, frustrated at the fact that it wasn't closing when she noticed the scroll full of lingerie stuck in the bottom. With a blush she realized that it had rolled out of its hiding spot on a shelf under some of her old sweaters. She picked it up and put it into the same spot again before turning around and pulling on the rest of her clothing.

She smiled and walked out of her room and into the kitchen where Gaara handed her a bowl full of miso with toast on the side. He had changed his clothing as well.

"I hope you're hungry." He said as she sat down at the table and began to eat it.

"I am, thank you for this." He nodded as they both ate their breakfast in silence. As soon as the bowls had been washed, Sakura whipped around and began plotting out the day in her head. "First thing to do is to get the rooms ready for their arrival." She clapped her hands together as Gaara simply stared and followed her to the guest room across from his. "Now I have the bed made and everything all the time just in case someone drops in or crashes here for the night. We just need to make sure that it isn't too dusty or anything." Gaara nodded as she walked out of the room and down the hall into the room that would be Temari's. After he had deemed the room dust free, he walked into the living room where Sakura was already straightening up the couches and wiping off the table.

"You know, I have the feeling they might be here soon." She looked up at him and blinked for a moment before smiling.

"Well I'm ready if you are." He approached her and took her hand.

"Of course I am." She smiled as a knock on the door jarred them out of their thoughts. Gaara gave Sakura a pointed look as she shrugged and went to open it finding a rather flustered messenger shinobi at the door. She recognized him as one of the ones that Tsunade loved to harass.

"Haruno-san the Kazekage's siblings are wondering where he is staying. Tsunade-sama is unavailable to meet with them right now so I came here. They are at the gate." Sakura shook her head with a sigh. Leave it to her Shishou to make her deal with this.

"Tell them he is staying at my house since I am the Hokage's apprentice." The messenger nodded and left quickly, jumping across the rooftops towards the Hokage tower. Sakura turned to Gaara who had watched the scene with amusement, leaning against the doorframe in the hallway.

"Leave it to Kankuro and Temari to have no idea where I am. They are never sure where I am half of the time even when I'm in Suna. Trying to find me in Konoha must be near impossible to them." Sakura laughed.

"Well I'm sure they will be here soon." Sakura walked down the hall and sat on the couch, straightening the pillows until Gaara took her hand and smiled at her.

"Don't be nervous." Sakura nodded and stopped her fidgeting. Sure enough, a few minutes later they heard a knock. Sakura stood up and opened the door to see Temari arguing with Kankuro. They both stopped when they saw her and grinned broadly.

"Sakura! It's so good to see you!" Temari pulled her in for a hug that Sakura returned.

"I'm so happy to see you guys again! Come on in out of the cold." They thanked her and walked inside with their clothing in packs they were carrying. She told them to set them near the door and they put them down before taking off their cloaks, hanging them on the pegs near the door. Gaara stood in the hall and regarded them both.

"You look like you are cold." Temari looked at him with an exasperated look. Kankuro merely laughed.

"You would know brother, you seem to be comfortable." He shrugged as Temari grasped his arm in greeting, she had become rather affectionate since the Akatsuki mishap and he was still getting used to her rather spontaneous acts of affection.

"Sakura how have you been? I hope he hasn't been a pain." Kankuro grinned, turning his full attention to her.

"No he's been very kind and helpful and I'm doing very well thank you." She stated and he smiled.

"That's good to hear." He turned to Gaara, his smile spreading into a Cheshire grin. "So what's this we heard about you?" He crooned and Gaara shot a glance at Sakura. Temari chose this moment to whirl around and give him an accusatory look.

"Yeah, this thing about you getting _married_?! Maybe you'd like to explain that!" Temari placed her hands on her hips, looking at him with narrowed eyes as Gaara merely crossed his arms.

"I'll explain." He turned and walked into the living room followed by Temari and Kankuro who sat on the couch across from where he sat. Sakura sat on the opposite end of the couch watching as Temari stared her younger brother down. "As you know Suna and Konoha have an alliance with each other. I plan to strengthen this alliance with marriage." Temari gave an exasperated sigh.

"So it's true then. I never ever in my life thought that my little brother would be getting married." Temari stated, shaking her head. "Kankuro and I didn't believe it when you sent the letter. The council's been pushing marriage for years but you've refused to even entertain it." Kankuro looked highly amused at the situation.

"This marriage will be beneficial for both villages. I'm marrying because I found someone I want to marry. I did not entertain the council's suggestions because I won't be forced into some arranged marriage with some lord's daughter. I think that if that happened the alliance might have broken." Kankuro laughed heavily at this and Temari hit him on the arm to stop him.

"I can't believe my brother said he is marrying because he wants to. This is just getting better and better!" He smiled and looked at Gaara. "So how will this strengthen the alliance? I mean marrying some girl from another village is great and all, but she needs to be able to have some sort of influence over the people and be in some position of power…" He trailed off and shot Gaara a look of absolute horror. "Please tell me you aren't marrying the Hokage, she's ancient!" Sakura scowled at him and Gaara did as well.

"No Kankuro I am not marrying the Hokage. I am marrying someone else." Kankuro let out a sigh of relief and Temari looked at Gaara.

"So who are you marrying?" He shifted a little and looked at them both.

"I'm marrying Sakura." Temari and Kankuro's jaws fell open as they looked between a blushing Sakura and a serious Gaara.

"Seriously?! You guys are getting married!? You're going to be my sister!" Temari practically shrieked as Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, it wasn't planned but it worked out this way." Temari practically yanked her off the couch and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"I am so glad it's you and not some dumb bimbo." Gaara shot his sister an angry look at this as Sakura laughed.

"She's a great choice! If you hadn't snatched her up I think I would have." Kankuro approved. 

"She has a great influence on the people and her reputation is widely known. She is also the Hokage's student and her adoptive daughter." Temari and Kankuro were surprised by this and looked to Sakura for clarification.

"The Hokage's your adoptive mother?" She nodded.

"This is so amazing not only is my little brother getting married to one of my best friends but my mother-in-law is the Hokage." Temari smiled at them both and immediately began looking at the ring.

"You did good Gaara." Kankuro said as he pulled Sakura to his side. "Now I get to have a cute little sister to bother." She raised an eyebrow as Kankuro grinned and slung his arm around her shoulder.

"You should be careful with that cute little sister Kankuro because she can really pack a punch." Temari chided as she pulled Sakura over to her instead. "Don't be afraid to hit him as hard as you can if he bothers you. He'll heal eventually." She grinned and Sakura laughed.

"Well I'm sure between your travel and this news you guys must be hungry. Why don't we go get some lunch and I'll explain what we need your help with." Temari and Kankuro agreed and put their coats back on as Kankuro cursed the snow and slid a pair of boots on instead of his sandals.

"You should have seen him when he first saw the snow in the forest. He started spouting off that 'Snow doesn't bother me!' crap. Then after about an hour his toes started to turn blue and we had to stop so he could wrap bandages around them to keep warm." Gaara and Sakura laughed as Kankuro rolled his eyes. Gaara looked at him and Temari.

"You should know that the only people who know about this are Shikamaru, his family, and the Hokage. It's a secret until we tell the council. That's what we wanted to talk to you about when we get to the restaurant." They nodded as Temari perked up at the mention of Shikamaru and Kankuro grinned.

"Well then we can really throw people off the trail by letting me escort my little sister to the restaurant." Temari hit him and he glared at her making her laugh as they walked down the street and into the market place. Kankuro immediately struck up a conversation with Sakura about the new poison he was making for his puppets. "I remember that Sasori had poison on his that almost killed me and I figured I could use poison on some of mine to help me when I fight."

Sakura nodded and they continued talking with Gaara walking close to her on her other side. Sakura led them into a small restaurant that served what she deemed to be "The best soba in town." Kankuro smiled and threw his arm around her shoulders, laughing as they opened the door. Temari rolled her eyes and pushed Kankuro away from Sakura. She sat down at a table and slid into the booth next to her before Kankuro could. Gaara and Kankuro sat on the other side and picked up the menu, scanning what they had.

"Hello Sakura-san what will you have today?" The waitress asked her smiling.

"I'll have the House Soba please Kari." She nodded.

"And for you?" Temari looked at her and smiled.

"The same as her please." Kari nodded and turned to Kankuro.

"I'll have the Zeru Soba please darling." He gave her a dashing smile and she pretended not to notice.

"I'll have the House Soba as well." Gaara stated handing her the menu while simultaneously knocking Kankuro's head with his elbow. She smiled at all of them except for Kankuro and then walked away towards the kitchen. Sakura looked at Temari and coughed slightly before they then both burst out into laughter. Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know." Gaara shook his head at Kankuro.

"I'm sorry but it's kind of funny that you were just trying to flirt with a married woman. Especially one that's pregnant." Kankuro's eyes widened and he looked down at the table with his head in his hands. Temari was laughing hysterically as Sakura smiled at him. "Oh come on Kankuro can't you take a joke?" He looked up at Sakura who was smiling devilishly and laughed weakly.

"That joke was serious Sakura." He looked at Sakura and found himself liking the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed as Kankuro declared loudly that he knew it was a joke.

"Sure Romeo." Temari shot back at him, derailing his protests for a slight moment before he started up again full force.

Gaara observed how nice it all seemed. It was all so natural, like they had always had Sakura in their lives. Looking at her smiling face next to Temari and hearing her tease Kankuro made it seem like she _had_ always been a part of their lives.

"Here you go." Kari walked up to their table and put four steaming bowls of soba on the table in front of them. "I hope you like it. You aren't from Konoha are you? I mean I haven't seen you around town before. I have met almost all of Haruno-san's guests." She smiled sweetly, looking at Gaara and Kankuro before turning to Sakura and Temari.

"Kari let me introduce you to the Kazekage and his siblings." Kari's eyes widened a little as Kankuro smiled at her.

"Oh it's a pleasure to meet you Kazekage-sama! I thought I recognized you from somewhere! I'm sorry if I seemed a bit out of place with the comment of you not being from around here." She bowed slightly as Gaara shook his head.

"It's completely fine." Kari nodded and smiled before bowing again.

"I hope you enjoy your meal Kazekage-sama!" She picked up her tray and walked away, leaving the group to their meals.

"She's quite observant but she didn't immediately recognized us, is she a shinobi?" Temari questioned as Sakura shook her head.

"She helps me in the hospital occasionally and has basic medic training. We are taught to be observant and she probably noticed that you were a bit uncomfortable because of the cold when we first walked in." They nodded and Temari smiled.

"Well, I'm hungry and this food looks delicious!" They all agreed and began to eat their soba.

"This is amazing!" Kankuro said with a mouth full of soba. Temari agreed nodding.

"We should come here every time we are in Konoha." She smiled happily. Gaara and Kankuro nodded their agreement.

"I'm glad you like it! It's one of my favorite places to eat." Sakura beamed as she ate her own soba.

They all ate in silence for a while with the occasional questions from Kankuro about the weather in Konoha. Eventually they all finished eating and paid the bill. They all refused Sakura's offer of paying for them and paid for their meals as well as hers.

"You'll have to get used to it Sakura, you're part of the family now. Well, almost." Kankuro teased. She grinned back at him and waved to Kari before walking out into the snow.

"You know what? I'm feeling rejuvenated and a bit invincible right now. What say we go tackle the council? We'll have to do it sometime and telling those old geezers off will be good practice if anyone else tried to give us any trouble." She looked at the others who were staring at her intently.

"Whoa you really could be genetically related to the Hokage. Are you sure you aren't like her niece or something? That totally sounded like something she would say." Kankuro pointed out, Sakura shrugged.

"She taught me everything she knows." She smiled and Kankuro threw his arm around her shoulders once more.

"Let's go then! I'm looking forward to schooling the council. The elders were getting in my face back in Suna and if your elders are anything like the Suna elders, then this will be fun." Gaara rolled his eyes and pushed Kankuro's arm off of Sakura's shoulders and transported her to the nearest rooftop with his sand instantly.

"Kankuro, you're falling behind." Kankuro grinned at Gaara's challenge and jumped up onto the rooftop with Temari as they sped across the roofs to the Hokage tower. They climbed the steps and looked at each other with energized expressions.

"Let's talk to Shishou and then we can go. I'll have her send a message to Shikamaru." Temari's head shot up for a moment at the mention of Shikamaru, which Sakura noticed, as they all nodded and walked into the tower smiling and excited.

End of Chapter 33


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Telling the council to go screw themselves, telling your best friends you're engaged and that you're leaving your home is a lot to do.

Gaara and Kankuro followed Sakura as she knocked on the door to Tsunade's office. "Come on in Sakura." She opened the door and walked in with Temari and Kankuro right behind her and Gaara at her side. "Ah so they got here safely. Good to know. How are you Kankuro, Temari?"

"Very well thank you." Temari smiled as Sakura took a step forwards.

"We need your help Shishou." Sakura stated. Tsunade laughed.

"With the elders? I will come and provide backup should you need it. Though I think with Gaara being the Kazekage and you being my student, I doubt there will be much room for argument. I've seen you deal with them before Sakura." Sakura merely echoed her mischievous look.

"I think that we can whip them easily, it just helps if you are there for backup." She nodded and smiled standing up.

"Well what are we waiting for? Shizune!" She boomed loudly as Shizune rounded the corner almost immediately. "Send a message to Shikamaru immediately. I believe he was in on this scheme." She looked to Sakura who nodded as Shizune rushed out of the room.

Tsunade walked up to Sakura and smiled before grabbing her arm and walking out of the office with a dangerous looking smile on her face as she practically dragged Sakura across the floor. "Have him go directly to the elder's council building." Shizune nodded as the same harassed messenger shinobi Sakura had seen earlier took the message and darted out the door in front of them.

They got outside and Tsunade let go of Sakura's arm, stalking down the stairs with Sakura keeping pace. The others followed close behind. They scared the poor people that came across them as Tsunade continued on her war path. They reached the council building and all walked inside startling the receptionist that was lounging in her chair.

"Hokage-sama! Kazekage-sama!" The startled girl stuttered out, standing up and bowing to them clumsily.

"Settle down. We need you to call the elders to council. There is a matter that must be discussed with them."

"Hai Hokage-sama!" She ran out of the room and they all heard a loud gong followed by more answering it. Sakura shot Tsunade a look to which she merely crossed her arms and nodded.

A minute later a rather unhappy looking Shikamaru walked into the compound, giving his usual lazy wave before heading over to Sakura and giving Temari a sideways glance.

"Would have been nice to have had a little heads up." Shikamaru whispered as Sakura rolled her eyes.

"What, about the elders or Temari?" She whispered back, a smug smile on her face as Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head.

"Troublesome woman." He sighed as Gaara, who had been standing near enough to hear this exchange, merely smiled. Tsunade looked to Shikamaru, who nodded with his usual lazy look before turning to give Kankuro and Temari a short greeting.

Jan returned a minute after Shikamaru's arrival and Tsunade nodded to her as she sat back down behind her desk. In a matter of minutes, a light on the wall buzzed. "The council will see you now." Gaara looked at Sakura, who had her jaw clenched rather tightly. She stood up with a very determined look in her eyes.

"Let's get this over with in time for dinner." She cracked her knuckles and stalked through the large doors and into the room where the elders all sat on a raised platform. Sakura and the others filed in and stood in front of them, bowing to them in mock respect before straightening up and looking at them.

"Hokage-sama, we understand that you called this meeting together. For what purpose did you request it? It was rather poorly timed." The head elder gave them a patronizing glance, to which Tsunade merely locked her jaw and gave an obviously fake smile.

"The Kazekage needs to speak to you about an issue concerning the treaty between Suna and Konoha." The head council member turned to Gaara who looked up at them with a serious and almost challenging expression.

"Kazekage-sama, what is it about the treaty between Konoha and Suna that you would like to speak about? I was under the impression that it had already been thoroughly examined." He drawled, with a hint of venom in his voice.

"I intend to strengthen it through a bond of marriage. The two countries will not only be joined by a written treaty but a bond between myself and a member of Konoha." The elders all turned to each other in a bit of shock and started discussing things in hushed voices. After a minute of this, the elder to the left of the head elder, a lady with a pair of red glasses, looked at them with an interested look.

"We are open to this discussion but fail to see how a simple marriage will unite the countries any further." Gaara spoke again.

"I am marrying someone that holds a high position in Konoha and has influence here over the people as well as ties to the Hokage and all of the shinobi in Konoha." This sent the elders into a flurry of discussion again as Gaara nodded to Sakura who nodded back, giving her approval to continue before the elder council could reach any sort of decision. "I am going to marry Sakura Haruno." The elders stopped talking for a moment before beginning a heated and hushed conversation with each other, shooting glances at Sakura who was practically glaring daggers at them. The high elder finally turned back to them and looked at Sakura and Gaara.

"We all agree that Haruno holds a great position in Konoha, especially in the medical field. We also know that she is the student of the Hokage. She, however, is still a valuable part of Konoha and we are unwilling to let her leave." Sakura stepped forward and so did Tsunade, both with the same furious glint in their eyes. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.

"They've done it now." He mumbled to Temari who merely shook her head as Kankuro raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Suna's medical program is far less advanced then ours. Even the simplest of poison extraction and antidote making have failed there, almost resulting in the death of the Kazekage's brother Kankuro." At this Kankuro looked up.

Gaara was rather impressed and very content at watching Sakura's sudden surge of power. He felt her anger and chakra raising and swirling and was enjoying it immensely. Sakura gave the elders another glare and immediately began talking again.

"Furthermore their hospital protocol is at an almost basic level and they lack the necessary training to save those that we here can and do save daily. They have no one to set the standards for them while here we have one of the Legendary Sannin that is the most skilled medic in the entire world. We are lucky enough to have _her_ here! Now you are saying that _I_ can't leave and help them because Konoha needs _my_ skills?!" She hissed the last words, her hands clenching. At this Tsunade spoke up, her voice just as powerful and forceful as Sakura's.

"My student is almost more powerful than I am and is almost matched in my skills and yet she is here where we don't need her. I can take care of the medical field here with ease as it is already at the highest standard and is functioning perfectly. Sakura is more than qualified to run an entire program and medical field by herself and in Konoha she has no more chances to do that. I watch her in the hospital helping out where she isn't needed when in Suna people are dying where they can be saved! She is needed there and there is no question about that!" The elders knew that they were outmatched with both Sakura and Tsunade's rage building against them. They nodded and began discussing again and turned back to Sakura and Gaara again.

"We have decided that this is a great idea and are prepared to follow through and strengthen the bond between our nations. But we have restrictions: Firstly, Haruno will stay here for – " Sakura and Tsunade both cracked their knuckles, stalking towards the head elder as the other elders began to protest.

"You have no right to say where _I_ can go! I do _not_ answer to you!" Sakura seethed as Shikamaru moved forwards with a serious look before the two women could do any damage.

"If the council would discuss once more I am sure there will be no issues." He looked at the council members that were already attempting to derail the violence that the smug head elder had caused. Tsunade and Sakura both stopped their advances and looked across the council with scowls on their faces that would scare the pants off of almost anyone.

After a few moments the woman in the red glasses spoke again, hushing the head elder as he moved to protest.

"We wish you both great happiness and look forward to further bonds between our nations." Gaara and the others watched as Sakura and Tsunade raised their chins in proud triumph before walking out without another word. They followed, hearing the council erupt into another discussion behind them.

"Great job you two!" Jan called when she saw Tsunade and Sakura. "Another job taken care of!" She gave the group a large grin as Sakura nodded.

"Thank you Jan, I think that was the smoothest negotiation I've been to yet." Tsunade nodded decisively as Sakura shook her head.

"Knowing you Shishou, that probably was. At least we didn't have to break anything this time." She sighed, her anger having suitably dissipated.

"Can you come to Suna and do that to our council? That was amazing! My little sis has spunk!" He cheered, as Tsunade chuckled.

"You both handled it exceedingly well." Gaara stated as Sakura wrapped her hand around his arm for a moment. She wore a proud smile on her face as Tsunade looked at the both of them with a knowing smile.

"You know, I'm not sure why you deal with them at all anymore. They never help with anything." Shikamaru put his arms behind his head and stretched as Tsunade shook her head.

"I would give anything to see them gone but the clans won't have it. It's nice to know I can still whip them into shape though." She clasped her hands in front of her as Shikamaru nodded and turned his gaze to Sakura who had just sighed.

"Now we have to tell our friends."

"Shikamaru was easy enough how hard can they be?"Gaara pointed out. Shikamaru scoffed slightly, gaining the attention of the group once more.

"Try telling that to Lee. It is all going to be rather troublesome." He furrowed his brow as the others groaned at the use of his famous statement. Tsunade said goodbye to them all as soon as they were at the Hokage tower.

Sakura gave Shikamaru a sideways glance as he took the opportunity to wave to them all and began walking away. As soon as he was out of earshot she motioned for Temari to walk with her.

"Temari, I know that Shikamaru has been wanting to see you." Temari looked up and Sakura saw a sudden gleam in her eyes.

"He does? But he was just here and he didn't say anything?" Sakura smiled as she tried to not sound excited.

"Oh he just said he hadn't seen you in a while and wondered how you were doing. He always gets a little antsy in large groups. You should go catch up with him and talk a bit, I'll cover for you." Temari nodded, trying her best to suppress her obvious smile at this.

"Well I'll go and say hello to him then. Do you want me to meet you somewhere for dinner?"

"No it's fine I have some leftovers in the fridge that you are welcome to if you get hungry. I am actually going to Naruto's and no doubt he will want to drag Gaara and I out to Ichiraku's." Temari laughed. "I think Shikamaru was headed towards the market, if you take this street you'll catch up to him faster." Sakura motioned towards as side road as Temari glanced down the street.

"Well I'll go see Konoha's laziest shinobi and say hello. I'll see you guys later." She waved to them and walked down the road towards Shikamaru's house, picking up her pace a bit the moment she thought she was out of sight. Kankuro was walking next to Sakura and Gaara, quietly shuffling through the snow and looking every bit like the awkward third wheel. Gaara looked at Sakura before whispering something in her ear. She nodded and looked at Kankuro.

"Kankuro, I was wondering if you could go see if Kiba and Akamaru are at the Inuzuka compound. When you find them, can you tell Kiba that I want to talk to him and the rest of the group?" Kankuro looked up at her and nodded. He was obviously glad to go do something other than walk through the cold with the two of them.

"Do you want me to get Lee and Naruto as well?" She shook her head.

"I need to tell them separately or I think they might just go on a rampage. Besides, who knows where Lee is." Kankuro laughed. "The Inuzuka compound is on the left side of town by itself. It's separate from most things and there's usually quite a bit of noise if the kids and the puppies are out. I think you'll find it easily enough. Someone will direct you to the main house, go there and ask for Kiba." He nodded.

"Where do you want me to bring them to?" Sakura looked up at Gaara.

"Ichiraku's at around five. Just say Sakura needs to talk to them." Kankuro nodded.

"I'll meet you guys at Ichiraku's then." He smiled and jumped to the nearest rooftop before rushing away, obviously taking the route with the least snow. Gaara turned to Sakura and sighed, taking her hand in his own and squeezing it gently before letting it go once more.

"Well we are officially getting married." Sakura stated, her heart beating a bit faster in her chest as she acknowledged it. He gave her a small smile and continued to walk with her down the snow covered street. "Let's go talk to Naruto. It's better to get it over with and not have him going on some sort of a crazy streak later on." Gaara nodded and smiled at her.

"I think it won't be as bad as everyone thinks. You are like family to him." Sakura nodded and they both jumped onto the nearest rooftop, moving quickly towards Naruto's apartment. They stopped outside the door and righted their clothing before knocking and waiting for the blonde to answer. They heard a loud crash followed by a bang before the door opened a crack and Naruto appeared rubbing his head. When he saw it was Sakura and Gaara he opened the door all the way and smiled.

"Hey Sakura-chan! And Gaara! Come on in! Sorry about the mess I was trying to clean up a little." Sakura shook her head at Naruto's messiness as the blonde kicked some things out of his way. "Anyways, why are you guys here? You're not hurt anymore right Sakura?" Sakura shook her head and then looked at Gaara and sighed a little.

"Naruto, sit down, we've got some news." Naruto suddenly sobered his expression as he sat down on a chair and Gaara and Sakura sat down on his couch.

"Whenever you do this something really not good has happened." His blue eyes regarded her seriously and with a little bit of fear as Sakura inwardly kicked herself at her choice of words.

"It's nothing bad Naruto. It's not what you're thinking. We haven't lost anyone." Naruto nodded. Relaxing a little as he met Sakura's gaze.

"Well if it's not bad then go ahead. I'm always in the mood for some news." He smiled encouragingly as Sakura nodded and continued.

"Gaara's getting married." Sakura stated plainly as Naruto stared at them both blankly before looking at Gaara.

"Seriously!? I never thought you would ever even want to get married!" He was still completely taken aback but couldn't help but grin at Gaara. "So who's the lucky girl? Do I know her?" Gaara and Sakura nodded and then looked at each other.

"We are getting married; I'm marrying Sakura." He waited for the few seconds it took for Naruto to register what he just said, watching as the blonde's face went completely blank.

"Sakura-chan? Oh I see it's a joke right?" He smiled and Sakura frowned before hitting him on the head.

"Of course it's not a joke you idiot!" Naruto looked at her dumbstruck for a moment as Sakura showed him the ring. "We're getting married in eleven days." Naruto looked back and forth between them and rubbed his head.

"Sorry , I'm just surprised! Man Sakura-chan I didn't know you were even interested in Gaara." Sakura shrugged.

"It just sort of happened. If that's your only objection then I'm glad. I thought you'd be upset since this means I'm leaving Konoha." Naruto looked at them for a moment as if pondering this new information that he obviously hadn't thought of and then shook his head and began to laugh, earning a smile from Sakura.

"Man my best friends are getting married! This is great! I'm not upset about you leaving Sakura-chan if it means you'll be happy. I'll get to see Gaara when he comes to visit because Sakura-chan will bring him to see me! Oh and I'll get to come to Suna right?! This is great I'm really happy for you!" He stood up and pulled Sakura into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you Sakura-chan but I know the two of you deserve happiness. You'll always be my teammate and family." Sakura smiled at his sweetness and rubbed his hair affectionately.

"I'm going to miss you too Naruto. You know I'll visit whenever I can." He beamed at her and then turned to Gaara and hugged him as well.

"Take care of her or I will personally put you through a fate worse than anything on this planet." Naruto gave him a serious look and then smiled, causing Gaara to nod seriously. He stepped back and shook his head again, his eyes moving between the two of them as he continued to smile.

"I never imagined the two of you would get together but, I'm really, really glad you both found each other." He locked his eyes on to Gaara, communicating with him in a glance that he was glad Gaara had finally found the love he was denied his entire life.

"Naruto, would you be one of my groomsmen. Kankuro is expecting to be the best man; otherwise I would have asked you." Naruto beamed at him.

"Of course I will! Wouldn't miss it for anything! Hey, we should celebrate this! Do you guys want to go to Ichiraku's?" Sakura gave Gaara a look that told him she knew this was going to be the response before laughing.

"We figured you were going to say that. We are going to tell the rest of our friends there. Shikamaru already knows." Naruto nodded, smiling at them as he grabbed his jacket and walked with them to the door.

"You know part of me thought you were going to be upset about me getting married." Sakura laughed and Naruto smiled.

"Aw come on Sakura-chan, you should have known I'd be happy for you, you're like a sister to me now. Besides, I think I would have probably gone insane if it was anyone but Gaara." He laughed and looked at her. "Especially if it was Lee." Gaara smirked at this and walked with Sakura hand in hand down the street towards Ichiraku's. Naruto was laughing and walking with them until they rounded a corner and ran right into Lee.

"Ah what luck to meet my friends on a walk! Hello Sakura-san, Gaara, and Naruto! Where is it you are headed? On a youthful walk maybe?" He smiled at them all and then turned his gaze onto Sakura who was a bit surprised to see him.

"Hey Lee, we were just going to Ichiraku's do you want to come along?" She mentioned, smiling widely.

 _"Just my luck."_ She thought. Lee froze for a moment and then smiled. He looked at Sakura's hand which was currently waving at him.

"Sakura-san where did you get that ring? It's very pretty." He smiled broadly, obviously trying to flatter her. Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed onto Lee's jacket, practically towing him down the street.

"Come on Lee, Ichiraku's awaits and I'm sure Sakura-chan and Gaara are hungry because I know I am!" Lee nodded and smiled, looking back at Sakura and Gaara.

"Come on let us race there!" Sakura rolled her eyes but agreed knowing keeping him happy might work in their favor.

"Hold onto me tightly." Gaara whispered as Lee shouted.

"Ready? Set! Go!" Sending Naruto and Lee racing down the street in two blurs of green and orange. Sakura held tightly to Gaara and smiled as she was transported to the street where Ichiraku's stood. They crossed the street and walked under the overhang of Ichiraku's, sitting on a stool and watching as Naruto and Lee burst through the awning, panting heavily and staring at them wide eyed upon seeing Gaara and Sakura sitting calmly on the stools.

"How'd you beat us here?!" Naruto huffed, sitting on the stool next to Gaara. Lee sat next to Naruto and nodded.

"Well you never said no transportation jutsu." Gaara stated simply. Smiling at their exasperated faces. They both laughed as the overhang was lifted up once more and Kankuro and the others walked in followed by Temari and Shikamaru with Ino, Hinata and Tenten behind them.

"Wow you brought everyone at once." Sakura commented.

"Yeah Temari saw the girls and mentioned we were going to Ichiraku's and I got the guys." Kankuro smiled and walked up to the stool two down from Sakura.

"So what did you want us for Sakura? Do you have some news?" Ino asked as the others all sat along extra stools or stood behind Sakura, looking at her expectantly. She sighed and was about to begin when Teuchi asked what they all would like. This started a flurry of answers and repeated orders letting Sakura have some time to breathe and to shoot Gaara a sideways glance which he returned with a small nod of encouragement.

Once the chaos of ordering had settled, all eyes turned back to Sakura. "So what's the news then?" Kiba questioned, leaning back against the counter and looking at her with an expectant gaze.

"Well there was some pretty big news that Gaara wanted to tell you guys first." She shot Gaara an apologetic look as everyone turned their attention to Gaara with even more interested gazes.

"I'm getting married." Everyone froze for a moment and then immediately began to talk over each other in an effort to understand what he had just said.

"Where did that come from?!" Kiba howled as Choji nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I was not aware you were the marrying type." Neji quipped, earning a laugh from Kanakuro who nodded and replied,

"I know right?"

"Do we know her?" Ino asked above the clamor, now reveling in this juicy piece of gossip as Gaara nodded.

"Well then who is it?" Tenten interjected as Kiba turned his attention back to Gaara.

"Yeah Gaara who is it?" Kiba questioned, looking expectantly at Gaara. Gaara opened his mouth to answer and was immediately interrupted when the ramen was set on the counter. The group all grabbed their bowls and began eating, chattering away and shooting out wild speculations until Sakura finally quieted them all down.

"So Gaara who is it that you're marrying? I mean if we know her then it has to be someone who's important right? It's not like the Kazekage can marry just anyone." Ino stated, still persistent with her inquest. Gaara set down his ramen bowl and felt a nudge on the arm from Naruto who nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

"I'm marrying Sakura." He stated this plainly, hoping to deter total and utter chaos.

Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth Kiba choked on his ramen and began hacking violently. Lee fell off of his stool as Ino and Tenten seemed to freeze up completely, their eyes widening drastically. Hinata's face had turned pink and Neji had a ramen noodle hanging precariously from his chopsticks, which he had stopped in mid-air. Even Shino seemed surprised as he had taken his chin out from its usual place behind his high collar. Sakura looked worriedly at Kiba as Kankuro hit his back, making him swallow the ramen and turn to look at Gaara with bulging eyes. He was the first to break the bubble of silence, his wolfish grin spanning from ear to ear.

"No way! Dude that's awesome! Congrats man!" Lee was now unconscious on the floor as Ino and Tenten seemed to get over themselves and launched themselves towards Sakura, squealing like excited little kids.

"You're engaged!" They practically shrieked, hugging Sakura and gushing over her ring. The guys had begun congratulating Gaara who was nodding and shaking their hands. Lee had woken up and was now looking at Naruto who was calmly trying to explain everything to him.

Hinata had moved to congratulate Sakura as well as the guys who took turns in congratulating her.

"So when's the wedding?" Kiba asked, looking at Gaara as the girls parted from Sakura and everyone began to settle down from the shock.

"The 16th of this month." He stated. Ino looked at Sakura with a glance that made her want to run far away as a broad smile broke across her face.

"Come over to my house tomorrow at like eleven Forehead and I'll help you start planning. Tenten and Hinata you guys come too we'll need all the help we can get." Sakura groaned as Ino shook her head and began chiding her on the importance of a well planned wedding as the rest of the group continued to talk to Gaara in between eating their meals.

"I assume this means you'll be leaving us then Sakura." Neji chimed in, making everyone stop talking as the realization settled over them once more.

"Yes I am. But you guys can come to visit whenever you want and I'll most likely have to come here a lot too. Besides, when am I ever really in Konoha? I'm always on missions or cooped up in the hospital. It won't be much of a change." Naruto nodded as Ino and Tenten smiled.

"You'll be back every year for your birthday right?" Ino questioned. Sakura nodded.

"Almost every year. I'll have to have some in Suna of course."

"We'll spend Christmas here a lot as well." Gaara added as Sakura smiled.

"So it'll almost be like I still live here." Kiba smiled and Shikamaru nodded.

"Well I think we should have a toast. To Sakura and Gaara, have a happy life together!" Temari proclaimed, holding up a glass of water as the others all raised theirs and repeated her.

"To Sakura and Gaara!" They all continued to chatter about everything before eventually paying and saying their goodbyes.

Kankuro and Temari said they were going to walk to Sakura's house and left Gaara and Sakura behind to talk to Naruto. Naruto and Lee were the last to leave as Naruto was still dealing with a dazed Lee.

"I'm really happy for both of you and I know Lee will be too when he snaps out of it." Lee looked at Sakura holding Gaara's hand and promptly fainted again. Naruto rolled his eyes and slung Lee over his shoulder before waving goodbye to Sakura and walking towards Lee's house. Sakura turned to Gaara and sighed gratefully.

"That went so much better than I thought it would." Gaara nodded.

"I'm surprised as well; I think Lee fainting was the best reaction we could have gotten from him." Sakura laughed and smiled up at Gaara. He looked down at her pink hair blowing slightly in the chilly night air and couldn't help but want to run his fingers through it gently. It had a light dusting of snow in it that made it seem as if she was sparkling under the street lamps.

High above them the moon was up and it had begun snowing lightly, making it seem just like the night he proposed to her. He sighed and put his arm around her waist, pulling her close as she leaned into his side. "I think this is true happiness." She nodded and looked up at him with a peaceful expression on her features.

"I am extremely happy as well. I don't think I've felt so relaxed in a long while." Gaara stopped them both and leaned forwards, putting his hand behind her head before pressing his lips to hers. She kissed him back just as slowly, snaking her arms up around his neck. He pulled back after a few moments, taking in the sight of her pale white skin and cheeks turning pink from the cold. He took her hand in his own once more as they walked languidly down the street, never once breaking their contact with one another.

When they arrived at her house they finally dropped their hands as Sakura opened the door and walked inside. They took off their jackets and boots rather slowly before walking into the living room where Kankuro and Temari were lounging on the couch. Sakura smiled as she walked into the room earning a grin from Kankuro who waggled his eyebrows at Gaara. Sakura sat down next to Temari on the couch and glanced at the screen where they were watching a movie.

"Oh I love this movie!" She gushed as Temari smiled at her.

"I know it's so good!" She nodded as they both sat back and watched it as Gaara and Kankuro sat on the other couch. When the movie ended they all got up and walked down the hall where Sakura showed them their bedrooms.

"Temari you can use my bathroom if you don't want to use the one in the hall." Temari nodded and thanked her. She then brought her stuff into her room and Kankuro brought his into his room before walking back out and saying goodnight to Sakura.

"Pleasant dreams little sis!" He grinned as he ruffled her hair and laughed, walking down the hall to his room. Temari gave a yawn and a wave of her hand before retiring to her own room as well, leaving Gaara and Sakura alone in the hallway.

"Goodnight Sakura, sleep well." She smiled at him and repeated his wishes before heading off to her room.

Gaara slipped into bed with a sigh, already wishing his siblings were not there as he adjusted to not having Sakura lying next to him. It was rather amazing to him, how much of an imprint she had made on him in such a short time.

Sakura was tossing and turning in her room as well, trying to find a comfortable position to lie in as she tried to sleep. Eventually she found herself falling asleep and welcomed it with open arms. She was definitely tired from everything that day.

 _"Tomorrow won't be much better. No doubt they will want me to try on a wedding dress already. They'll also have time to fully realize who it is I'm marrying and Ino will freak. I definitely need my rest."_ She thought to herself before completely succumbing to sleep.

End of Chapter 34


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding planning complete with Ino.

Sakura heard the buzzing of her alarm and groaned slightly. She reluctantly rolled over to shut it off and had only just stretched out her hand when the beeping stopped. She sighed happily and then opened her eyes rather suddenly, only to find herself face to face with Gaara.

With a small yelp she shot backwards in the bed as he looked at her with the same lazy look that he had the day before.

"Did I scare you?" He smirked as she hit him lightly with a pillow.

" _Why_ are you in my room?" She questioned, sitting up slightly as she put her hands on her hips in a defiant expression. He immediately noticed she was trying very hard not to smile. He looked at her and shrugged.

"I wanted to see you and I got up early so I came in here. Kankuro and Temari are still asleep. Temari is not a morning person and Kankuro could sleep all day if you let him." Sakura relaxed a little and gave him a small smile as she lay back down on the bed and looked at him sideways.

"Well I guess it's all right then but you shouldn't have scared me."

"I'm sorry." He reached over and traced her mark before moving his eyes back to her face and staring into her eyes with a soft expression.

"Well you might want to get moving because I need to get dressed and ready to go to Ino's house. She'll kill me if I'm late." She blushed slightly and turned away as Gaara sighed and watched her get up.

 ** _"Hey kid you can make her stay and have her beg you not to leave."_** Shukaku growled from deep in the recesses of his mind. Gaara couldn't help but roll his eyes.

 _"Of all the things I could get stuck with I got you. Yes I know what you mean and no I am not acting on it."_ Shukaku growled and Gaara stood up as Sakura pointed towards the door.

"I'll be out in a minute." She waved him off as Gaara walked out the door. He shut it gently so as not to cause any noise and then walked down the hall and into the kitchen where he decided he would try and cook eggs for them.

Sakura was busy picking out an outfit to wear that looked halfway decent. She decided on a black long sleeved undershirt with her usual top thrown over it. She then pulled out a pair of long black pants laying them on the counter in her bathroom and turning on the water for her shower. As she waited for the water to heat up she threw her pajamas into the hamper in her closet and walked back to the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it before stepping into the warm water.

In the kitchen Gaara had finished putting the eggs out on the counter and had found four glasses for drinks as well as the plates, all of which he set out on the table as Sakura walked in, her hair still a little damp from the quick shower she had taken.

"Mmm something smells good. I'll go get Temari and Kankuro up." Gaara nodded and let his eyes follow Sakura as she walked out of the room. He liked her usual tops, they were very her and rather comforting in a way. He smiled a bit to himself, which he often found himself doing as of late, and turned back to setting out the plates.

Sakura opened the door to Temari's room cautiously and stuck her head in. "Temari we have breakfast ready." She heard a mumbled groan as the lump on the bed moved slightly. Temari then sat up and looked at her, yawning and stretching.

"I'll be in there in a minute I have to deal with my hair first." Sakura nodded and closed the door, walking down to Kankuro's room instead. She knocked and opened the door cautiously just barely peeking inside.

"Hey Kankuro wake up." She called a little louder than she had with Temari, remembering Gaara said he was a deep sleeper. She watched the figure on the bed roll over and then promptly continue to sleep. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him, standing over him before yelling, "Kankuro get up!" Again, he merely shifted in his sleep. Sakura scowled and flicked him in the arm.

"Oww." He mumbled, rolling over and looking at her with hooded eyes.

"Good you're up. It's time for breakfast." Sakura smiled as Kankuro looked at her and blinked slowly, rubbing his arm and scowling at her a little as he stood up and stretched.

"Alright I'll be there in a minute or two." Sakura nodded and walked into the kitchen and took one of the plates before filling it up with eggs and a slice of toast.

"Is there anything I need to do while you are gone?" Gaara asked, sitting next to her at the table. She shrugged.

"You could go over to Shikamaru's house and have him help you pick out an outfit for the wedding I suppose. It would be easier than what I have to deal with today. Actually, have Kiba come with you too. He's in line to be the head of his clan and is experienced with getting nice outfits for his family parties. Neji would be the best for that but honestly, Kiba is easier to find and persuade to help you." Gaara nodded and looked at Sakura who was absentmindedly gnawing on her toast.

"I like your outfit today." Sakura looked down and then blinked at him. Gaara, complimenting her outfit…it was just too unusual.

"It's just my normal outfit Gaara, I've had it forever. Only the pants are the difference." Gaara smiled and watched as she finished her eggs and stood up to put her dish in the sink.

Kankuro and Temari came into the room with sleepy expressions that went away as soon as they saw the food. Both of them grabbed a plate and sat down at the table, shooting a look at Gaara and Sakura as they did so.

"So what are we doing today?" Kankuro asked, after putting his empty plate in the sink.

"Well I'm going over to Ino's in about fifteen minutes to plan for the wedding. Temari you can come with me if you want. I'm sure Ino is planning on you being there." She smiled and nodded.

"I'd love to! I've never helped plan a wedding before!" She smiled at Sakura and Kankuro chuckled.

"So while they do their girly things, what are we going to do?" He turned to look at Gaara who merely shrugged.

"I suppose we are going to gather together some of the guys and go get some outfits for the wedding. I think I'll have Kiba, Naruto, and Shikamaru as my groomsmen, they are the ones helping." Kankuro nodded as the girls waved goodbye to them and walked out the door, having gathered their things while the boys discussed the plans for the day. Kankuro turned to Gaara and sighed.

"Well let's get going then. We need to get three guys together and go find a place that sells tuxes, that's not an easy task."

"I see what Shikamaru means about weddings being troublesome." Kankuro laughed and pulled on his jacket and boots before following Gaara out the door.

Sakura and Temari walked down the street towards Ino's family's flower shop, both hurrying so as to escape the cold. They turned the corner to the shop and opened the door, hearing the bell chime as they walked inside.

"Hey Ino-pig I'm here and I brought Temari with me!" Ino stuck her head out from the back room and smiled at them both.

"Perfect! Tenten and Hinata are already here, they are in the back. Let me just close up and I'll meet you back there." Ino waved them in as she hung her apron on the wall.

Sakura nodded and walked into the back room, greeting Tenten and Hinata who were sitting at the table with tea in their hands. They smiled at her and Temari and motioned for them to sit down. No sooner had they gotten settled than Ino walked into the room, grinning as if she had just heard some of the best gossip in the town.

"Sakura's getting married in ten days." Temari pointed out as Ino took her seat.

"This is why we need to plan everything now. I think the best start will be to make a list of what you need for the wedding." Ino rattled off this speech in her usual commanding way, pulling out a notepad and pencil from her pocket as she spoke. "Obviously I'll supply the flowers so you don't need to worry about that." Sakura nodded as Ino suddenly gave her a strange look and then began to speak once more. "You know, I never asked if you guys had planned your theme yet." Sakura looked confused and glanced at Temari who shook her head.

"Theme? What do you mean theme?" Sakura questioned, confused by Ino's statement.

"Well some people have a wedding that's themed around a color. Meaning the tablecloths and decorations and things would all be that color or revolve around that color. Or some people chose to have a theme like a forest wedding or a ballroom wedding where the decorations and everything are made to look like that theme." Sakura nodded and looked at Temari.

"Well you could do a pink theme to match your hair." Temari suggested as Ino held back a snort and Sakura shook her head.

"My hair is bad enough being the color it is, we don't want me to blend into the decorations." Tenten nodded.

"You should do something that means something to you and Gaara." Hinata suggested.

"Something that reminds you both of a special memory." Tenten added. Ino nodded and turned to Sakura.

"So how about it Forehead, any special memories with the Kazekage?" Sakura thought about it and immediately thought back to the night when Gaara first appeared on the bridge and the night he proposed to her. In both memories it was lightly snowing and everything seemed to sparkle and glisten white. It was one of the only memories she had where the two of them were together in a non-formal capacity.

"Well there was the night he came to Konoha on Christmas Eve to see me. It was sort of the same place and setting as when he proposed." Ino jumped on this memory immediately with the excitement of a small child.

"Oh my gosh Forehead! You didn't tell us how he proposed!" Ino exclaimed this as if it was the tragedy of the century as Temari laughed.

"Oh this I have to hear! How did my silent little brother propose to you?" Temari leaned back in her chair, and amused look on her face. Sakura gave them both a look of disbelief before starting to tell them about it.

"It was lightly snowing and it was dark out but the moon was giving off enough light to see by. You know, one of those prefect winter nights, well he took me on a walk to Konoha Bridge saying something about getting some fresh air. When we got to the bridge he began by saying that he wanted to tell me about what he had talked to Shishou about; about a big change for our villages. The way he made it sound made me a bit nervous because I thought he meant something had happened, something in the alliance had changed that I wasn't aware of. He assured me he wanted to make it stronger and then before I knew what happened, he had pulled out a ring and was down on one knee." The girls all began to gush over Gaara's tact as Sakura's face turned slightly red. Temari laughed and pointed out that that was the most romantic he had most likely ever been.

"Hey your theme could be snow! Since it was snowing that night and when he came on Christmas Eve!" Tenten chimed in, thankfully turning the attention away from Sakura for a moment.

"I can get you some snow lilies for the tables and we could use other white flowers with some blue mixed in for the decorations. Then of course your bouquet can be blue and white..." Ino droned on about the flowers, writing it down on her notepad as the others added their own ideas.

"I know someone that owns a bakery. If I ask then I am sure they can make the cake for you. I can also ask them to cater at the wedding and after-party. My father usually has them cater our family functions so I am sure they are good. " Hinata smiled at Sakura who nodded her thanks as Ino wrote it down.

"So, all that's left are the other decorations. I can handle those. Temari, you could help me with them. Trust me Sakura you'll love it!" Sakura smiled and thanked them all as Ino clapped her hands together and beamed.

"So no that that is all settled, let's get going! I've scheduled a wedding dress appointment for ten minutes from now." Ino commanded, standing up and grabbing her coat.

The group walked out into the street laughing and talking to each other about ideas for the wedding. Soon they walked into the wedding dress store and Sakura was pushed into a changing room while the other girls sat outside the curtain. The seamstresses walked behind the curtain and began measuring her, rambling away about her 'well toned legs' and 'strong muscles' making Sakura want to run for the hills.

Eventually the measuring was done and the seamstress disappeared, leaving Sakura standing in the dressing room on her pedestal all alone in her underwear. She stared at herself in the mirror, pleased by the person she saw staring back. Those years of training had made her into a lithe and toned killing machine and for this, she was proud. Sure, she still had her feminine curves, not as much as Ino, but enough for her to look like the woman she was, instead of the girl she had been.

"I have the first dress here!" The seamstress appeared with another woman, hauling with them what appeared to be a mountain of puffy white fabric. Sakura took one look at it and grimaced. The seamstress laughed a bit and shook her head. "Just try it on and maybe you'll like it!" Sakura doubted this highly but stepped into the puffy mess regardless of her distaste for it.

As she suspected, the poufy bottom and over-the-top rhinestones on the collar looked awful and incredibly tacky on her. With a sigh she stepped out of the changing room to where the others sat talking amongst each other.

"What the hell is that? A marshmallow?! You are _not_ getting that!" Ino shook her head fervently as Temari and Tenten raised their eyebrows in disgust and nodded. Sakura huffed slightly and maneuvered the mass of fabric back into the changing room, taking off the dress as the seamstress left to find another.

The next few dresses were also not to her liking. Ino threw in her vote to a rather tight halter top dress that had a long slit up the side and made Sakura cringe every time she moved for fear of ripping the tight fabric.

Tenten opted for a simple looking white dress that had a high collar and no sleeves. They all agreed that it would have looked good on Tenten, but that it didn't quite suit Sakura's style.

Temari liked a dress with high slits on both sides that wrapped around her body and had a deep cut back. Sakura liked it, but felt incredibly exposed, and pointed out that she would need a shawl to keep warm as well.

Hinata, who had been quiet for almost the entire time, stood and followed the seamstress to where the dresses were hanging. She whispered something to the woman, who nodded and disappeared from their sight before calling Sakura back into the dressing room.

Sakura was told to look away from the mirror as the seamstress and her helper helped her put on the dress they had brought out. She found this a bit odd, but went with it, putting on the dress and walking out to the others without ever glancing in the mirror.

The minute she stepped out from behind the curtain, the girls stopped their chatting and then immediately gasped.

Sakura turned to face the mirror, her eyes growing wide when she saw herself.

It was a beautiful dress, the most beautiful she had seen in a long time. The dress had long sleeves with simple lace on top of the white fabric. They fanned out at the ends and draped down slightly, accentuating her slender arms. The front had a v-neck cut that was conservative enough for Sakura to feel comfortable, but cut so that she was given a sense of slight sensuality. The dress hugged her figure slightly near her stomach, and had a sash around her waist that tied into a bow behind her. It was floor length, but not unmanageable as it dragged behind her just a little, adding to the simplistic beauty of it. The back of the dress was inlaid with tiny flowers that gave a little something of a spring-time air without taking away from the elegance of the dress.

"Do you like it?" Sakura asked, as the girls all stood up and looked at her from all angles.

"Sakura it's absolutely perfect for you! It's gorgeous!" Tenten exclaimed.

"It's stylish enough to please me and it fits the theme." Ino nodded as Sakura rolled her eyes slightly.

"It's like it was made for you." Temari agreed. She was admiring the neckline of the dress when her eyes stopped and her brow furrowed. "Sakura what's that on your neck?" She pointed to the bright red mark on Sakura's neck as the others immediately craned their heads to look.

Sakura's face turned slightly pink as she quickly raised a hand to the mark as Ino's face split into a sly grin. "Oh that's umm I mean that's uhh…" She foundered for the words, causing Ino's smile to grow wider, when Hinata cleared her throat, causing the others to turn towards the quiet kunoichi.

"It's a mating mark. Gaara probably gave it to her before he proposed. It's like the Inuzuka's markings they give each other when they chose their mates. It infuses some of the males chakra into the female so he can tell where she is and when she's in danger. It is essentially a chakra link between them that is used to protect a mate. Once you have one you are linked for life, I- I believe." Hinata looked up at Sakura with a small smile as the others simply gawked between the two.

"Hinata's right, though I wasn't entirely aware of all of the workings myself." Sakura returned Hinata's smile as Ino shook her head.

"I knew the Inuzuka marked their mates, but how did you know all the rest of that Hinata?" She questioned, turning towards the now slightly pink kunoichi.

"Well being in a clan you learn a little bit about some of the other clan's rituals. It's a way of connecting the clans I suppose. But it's mostly common knowledge and etiquette." She mumbled out the last bit, focusing on staring intently on the bow behind Sakura's back instead of the other kunoichi.

Temari shook her head and stared at the mark once more. "It's exactly like Gaara's mark, the kanji for love." Temari said looking at it. "That's amazing." Sakura nodded as Ino look her head.

"You people and your strange marks confuse me. But focusing on the dress I think it is a definite yes." Sakura nodded as Tenten gasped.

"We forgot the veil!" Sakura turned as Tenten grabbed the veil and placed it on her head. It was a small veil, simple and out of her face, held back by cherry blossom clips that were nearly the same shade as her hair. The girls all smiled as Sakura turned her head and stared at herself in the mirror.

"Sakura you really do look stunning." Ino added as they continued to point out different parts of the dress as the seamstress poked her head into the room.

"The Hokage is here and she says she wants to see her daughter. Do any of you know what she is talking about? I thought she didn't have a daughter." Sakura laughed at the confused looks the seamstress gave them.

"I'm her adopted daughter, let her come back here." The seamstress nodded with wide eyes as Tsunade walked in with Shizune.

"Sakura, you look absolutely stunning." She nodded to Sakura as Shizune's eyes began to water.

Sakura smiled at her Shishou as she admired the dress. "Shishou can you let us have the wedding in the clearing with the cherry blossom trees?" Sakura asked, turning her glance to Tsunade. She nodded again.

"It's yours to do with as you wish. And on that note, what can I help with for the wedding?" She turned to stare at Ino who immediately began flipping through her note pad.

"Well we need to get invitations made and we have to get the Sensei together so Sakura can tell them." She nodded.

"I can handle gathering the Sensei. I will, of course, conduct the ceremony as well. It is my duty as Hokage to do so. I will also conduct the one in Suna seeing as the Kazekage is the one getting married. I also will pay for your wedding here." Sakura's eyes grew wide as she whipped around to protest, only to be stopped by a stern look from Tsunade. "I will pay for everything and will not hear of any opposition to this. I am the Hokage, your mentor, and your adoptive mother and I have more than enough money to pay for this. Besides, the money I make for being Hokage really isn't doing me any good if I'm not using it and I get half of the things for free." Sakura nodded as Tsunade's face softened into a smile.

"Thank you so much Shishou. I appreciate it greatly." Ino smirked at Sakura and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Forehead you are so lucky! You get two weddings!" They all laughed as Sakura looked at her in disbelief.

"One wedding is enough Ino! You forget that one of them will be watched by people all over the Fire and Wind country!" She shook her head as Ino rolled her eyes.

"Exactly! You are so lucky Sakura." Tsunade laughed, surprising them all as she shook her head slightly.

"Marry a Kage Ino and you can have two weddings too." Tsunade smirked at her as she shook her head.

"No, I think I'll leave that to Sakura. Too many politics." She scrunched up her face in mock distaste as Sakura sighed and looked at all of them.

"Well I think I'll go change into my clothes and we'll get the dress. You guys wait here." She walked out of the room with a smile on her face, leaving the others talking about the wedding behind her.

Around the time the girls had started their wedding planning in Ino's home, the boys had just began to head down the street.

Kankuro sighed as they stepped out into the cold, immediately pulling his coat a bit tighter around his shoulders. "Gaara I'll go get Shikamaru if you go get Kiba." Gaara nodded, reminding him of the time factor involved.

"We'll meet back here." Kankuro nodded to him, giving him a wave before walking down the road towards Shikamaru's house.

Gaara turned the opposite way and headed towards the Inuzuka compound, having remembered where it was from the one time Naruto had dragged him there. He walked through the gates with ease after the Inuzuka standing there recognized him and immediately let him into the inner compound, bowing profusely as Gaara shook his head. He walked up to the main house before knocking on the door and waiting. A young woman with trademark Inuzuka characteristics opened the door and looked at him with wide eyes before bowing slightly.

"Kazekage-sama, please, come in. Are you here to see Kiba?" Gaara nodded as he stepped inside.

"Yes I need him to come to help me with and outfit for my wedding." The woman seemed surprised as Gaara gave her a steady look.

"Kiba didn't say anything about you getting married. Are you getting married to someone in Konoha?" He nodded.

"I am marrying Sakura Haruno soon." The woman looked a bit confused for a moment but then laughed and nodded.

"Well then congratulations! She's a very nice girl and I'm quite fond of her. Always keeping the idiots like Kiba in line." She grinned a toothy grin and then seemed to remember her manners. "I'm Kiba's sister, by the way. My name is Hana."

"It is very nice to meet you Hana." She smiled as three ninken walked around the corner, smelling the new arrival. They looked at Gaara for a moment before cocking their heads to the side and staring at Hana who nodded.

"Yes he is the Kazekage. Would you guys go and get Kiba for me?" The ninken barked and ran back out of the room as Gaara watched the seemingly silent conversation with interest.

Hana smiled as the ninken left and told Gaara to come in and wait for Kiba. He walked into the living room and saw a ninken lying on the floor, merely raising her head to grunt at them as they walked into the room. Hana smiled at her and walked over, rubbing her belly and making her growl happily. She turned to Gaara and gestured to the ninken with a smile. "I'm keeping an eye on her. She's late delivering the pups and is one of my ninken's mate. He won't leave her side for too long so she stays here." Gaara nodded at this as Hana rubbed the ninken's head.

"I can understand the need to be protective of someone you care about. Have Kiba tell me when she has her pups, I would like to visit if I could." Hana stood and nodded.

"I'll make sure you know when she has them." Gaara watched as the ninken triplets returned with Kiba, who smiled upon seeing Gaara. One of the ninken walked over to the female ninken and laid next to her, nuzzling her with his nose as she whined happily.

"It's nice to see you again so soon, but I can't help but get the feeling you came here to ask me something." He grinned as Akamaru came down the stairs and sat down beside him.

"I'm here to ask you to be a groomsman at my wedding." Kiba was a bit surprised at Gaara's request but nodded happily in return.

"I'm honored you asked and I'll be glad to be a groomsman. I think I'll need a new suit though, the one I wore for the last big ceremony is a little old." Gaara nodded.

"I'm actually here to get you to come and help me pick out a suit myself as I have no experience with suits other than the traditional ceremonial robes." Kiba chuckled and nodded.

"Sure I'll come along. Akamaru will come too. I know the best place to get suits and I'll be happy to show you." Gaara nodded and followed Kiba to the door, saying his goodbyes and thanks to Hana before walking out the door with Akamaru and Kiba next to him.

Shikamaru and Kankuro were waiting at the meeting point already with an overly excited looking Naruto beside them.

"I see you found Naruto." Gaara mentioned as the two groups joined together. Naruto greeted him with a grin and a wave as they all set off.

Naruto was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as Kiba had them follow him to the store. Gaara noticed the blonde's enthusiasm and couldn't help but smile slightly.

They arrived at the store and were ushered inside as Kiba spoke with the tailors who nodded and immediately began to ready the rooms for the group.

"So Gaara, what do you have in mind for style and color?" Kiba gestured to the sample styles in a book he held in his hands as the others in the group crowded around to look as well "I personally think, to be safe, a light grey would be the best color for the suit. Maybe with an off-white vest underneath." Kiba pointed to the color options as the tailor nodded.

"You can't go wrong with light grey in winter." Gaara trusted their judgement and told them to find suits in that color before being redirected to look at the book.

"I'm not exactly sure where to start for the style." He glanced across the styles with a slight crease in his brow. _"They all look the same. Why can't I just pick a simple one and be done with it."_ Luckily, Kiba, who had been conversing with the tailor, came to the rescue once again.

"Gaara I would try a suit similar to what you usually wear in the collar. Straigth collar that buttons to the top, no vest underneath, sort of like your red jacket. It's dignified and I think it would suit you better." Gaara nodded, looking at the outfit Kiba had picked out.

"We'll stick to the standard light grey suits and vests." Shikamaru added.

Kiba nodded, telling the tailors their choices before having them let the tailor take their measurements before giving them their suits in their respective sizes.

After they had put them on, they met back in the center room. They stood commenting on the nice look and feel of the suits as the tailor made minor adjustments to the fit of each. Naruto, having never worn a real suit before, was gleefully admiring himself in the mirror as the poor tailor tried to get him to stay still for long enough to put a marker in place to hem his pants.

Gaara thanked Kiba for his help, commenting that the collared jacket did indeed look better on him than the standard suits. Kiba beamed with pride, stating that he had a feeling it would suit him.

"You know, I wonder what the girls will plan for the wedding." Naruto mused as Shikamaru scoffed.

"Sit back and let them do what they want. Speaking from a lifetime of dealing with Ino, once they hear the word wedding there's no use bothering to discuss anything with them." They all agreed before changing into their own clothes and paying for the suits. Shikamaru looked at his suit and then sighed, catching the attention of Gaara.

"We'd better get these home so we don't get them soiled before the wedding." He stated, as Naruto nodded.

"I think they all might just tear us to bits if anything happens to these." They all gave nervous nods before saying goodbye to one another and going their own ways home. Gaara smiled as he walked back to Sakura's house with the outfit slung over his shoulder.

 _"It will certainly be surprising to see what the girls have planned."_ He thought, pondering over this as he walked down the street. Kankuro was next to him chatting about something that Gaara wasn't paying any attention to, instead turning his attention to the people around him, going about their daily business.

As they passed a grocery store, Gaara saw a young couple who caught his eye. The woman looked very young and the man with her did as well. The woman was talking to another older woman and the man had his arm around her waist. The thing that caught Gaara's eye the most was the way the woman was looking at the man that was her husband. The look on her face was one of pure happiness and he stood in wonder at the way the man returned the look. He was captivated with those looks until the couple began to move away from him.

Gaara watched the couple with a curious look on his face, wondering what it was about them that had turned his gaze so quickly. He hummed slightly at the odd moment and then continued on, having paused for a mere moment as he watched them.

Kankuro looked at him oddly but shrugged it off as 'the weirdness of Gaara' before walking inside. They both took their outfits and hung them in the closets in their rooms before walking into the kitchen and pulling out some rice to heat up for lunch. As the rice cooked, Kankuro leaned against the counter and stared at Gaara.

"Hey Gaara, has Sakura mentioned what's going on with Shikamaru and Temari? I mean, it's kind of obvious something is going on, she did spend an awful lot of time with him yesterday." Gaara shrugged.

"Sakura knows that they like each other." He shook his head. "But when Shikamaru avoided talking about it, he made it seem as if they were already together." Kankuro nodded and grinned.

"I get the feeling we'll be having a guest in Suna sometime soon." Gaara nodded and smiled slightly.

"I never really did ask Sakura out. I think we sort of skipped the 'dating' part. Is that a necessary thing?" Kankuro gave him a funny look and then immediately burst out laughing.

"In your case, I don't think anything is normal! I mean, never in a million years would I ever think this would happen. You getting married seemed like the last thing that could ever happen. But generally, most people don't just get married without dating first. You two, well, you've never exactly followed the rules anyways." Kankuro laughed again as Gaara thought this over.

"You are right in that point." Kankuro shook his head and smiled at his brother.

"You know, what people say is right. We are shinobi, our lives are not exactly known for being long, in most cases. Finding someone and deciding that you are going to be with them until you die, it's not something most people in our line of work get the chance to do. Aside from that, I don't think most people have the guts to do what you did. It's a big leap for anyone but I think for a shinobi, it's maybe not so big of a stretch to skip the whole 'dating thing' if you find someone you never want to give up on." He smiled as Gaara gave him a surprised look.

"I wasn't aware you had such deep thoughts Kankuro." Kankuro laughed and shook his head.

"You underestimate me Gaara. I'm actually rather smart when I put my mind to it." He grinned as Gaara smiled back. Just then the door opened and a laughing Temari and Sakura came into the house carrying huge white bags. They turned to corner just as Temari spotted the boys and shrieked.

"Ah Kankuro don't let Gaara see the dress!" Temari screamed as Kankuro jumped over to Gaara, covering his eyes in an impulsive move as the girls raced past them and down the hall into their rooms shutting the doors. Kankuro was still covering Gaara's eyes when they returned, fearing the wrath of Temari as Gaara attempted to pry his brother's hands off of his face.

"Kankuro uncover my eyes now." Gaara crossed his arms as Kankuro removed his hands and backed away.

"Sorry Gaara, you know girls and their superstitions." He waved his hand as Gaara gave him a stern look. The rice cooker beeped, turning Gaara's gaze away from Kankuro as he pulled out four bowls, handing a bowl to Kankuro before serving himself some rice.

Sakura glanced at Gaara who looked back at her as she served herself some rice and vegetables before following Temari into the living room, sitting down on the couch as they began whispering to each other and giggling every once in a while. Kankuro and Gaara looked at each other with questioning glances.

"Do you have any idea what they are talking about?" Kankuro whispered. Gaara shook his head.

"Maybe something about Temari and Shikamaru." Kankuro looked a little unsure as he shook his head.

"It could be that, or it could be something else. They keep looking at you and me and then giggling." Gaara nodded as he ate his rice, keeping an eye on the girls in the living room. "It could also be something about a honeymoon." He wiggled his eyebrows at Gaara, receiving a slight glare in return that stopped his gestures.

"I don't think it's that." Kankuro shrugged. He was about to say something else when they both heard Temari say something a little too loudly.

"Gaara and Kankuro…" She then dropped her voice again and Sakura nodded before giggling. The boys looked at each other and Kankuro groaned slightly.

"Shit, Temari might be telling her embarrassing stories." Gaara went still, giving Kankuro a glance and gesturing to the girls with a jerk of his head. Kankuro nodded, silently shuffling over to the wall near them, pretending to be watching the television that Gaara had just turned on. Gaara was watching Kankuro from the other side of the room, absentmindedly chewing his rice as the girls continued to chat. He watched intently as Kankuro leaned forward just enough so that he could hear what they were saying.

"But can you believe it? I mean it was so funny!" Temari whispered to Sakura as Sakura laughed quietly.

"He really did that?" Temari nodded and they both covered their mouths to keep from laughing too loud. Kankuro had nearly fallen over from leaning too far and had quickly walked back over to Gaara as they both retreated back to the kitchen.

"So what is it they are talking about?" Kankuro turned to him and shrugged, sighing slightly.

"All I heard was something about something was really funny that 'he' did and Sakura couldn't believe it. Then they both started laughing like crazy." Gaara sighed.

"Well whatever it is I think we should stay out of it." Kankuro nodded as they walked back into the living room before sitting on the couch opposite from the girls.

After a few minutes of sitting quietly, Sakura made her way over to the fireplace and threw in a few logs before getting a match and starting it. She blew on the fire and it stirred before igniting completely. The room immediately felt more comfortable as the fire crackled and sparked calmingly beside them.

Temari changed the channel as the show they were watching came to an end, ending up on the weather channel. They watched as a report came on saying that there was news of a small amount of snow that would hit that night and stay until the following day. They all sighed and put in a movie instead as Sakura got up and reheated some soup for supper. Gaara helped her ladle it into bowls and brought them to his siblings before sitting back down on the couch with his own bowl.

After about an hour the wind picked up outside, whipping and winding its way through Konoha with a chilling wail. Sakura shivered slightly as Kankuro turned his head to the window.

"Wow it sure is loud out there." Kankuro said and Sakura nodded.

"It always is before a storm. I'm sure it's the same in Suna, you do tend to have a lot of wind if I remember correctly." Kankuro nodded.

"Yeah but it doesn't make the same sound, there are no trees for it to pass through and all of our buildings are rounded to deflect it. The wind here is a little eerie." Sakura laughed and shook her head slightly.

"I guess you could say that." She smiled slightly and looked over to Gaara. "You know, I was thinking that once the storm dies down we could go back to the village we went to on the mission. I know we asked Shishou about it and she cleared it." Gaara nodded as Temari and Kankuro looked a bit confused.

Gaara noticed their expressions and immediately began to clarify. "Sakura was sent on a recon and elimination mission and I went along as protection. Sakura got injured in a fight and had her chakra depleted by a jutsu. A man and his wife helped stabilize Sakura long enough for me to get her back to Konoha." Temari and Kankuro both shot a look at Sakura who simply waved them away.

"I'm fine now and yes, we do owe them our thanks. It would have been more dangerous had I not been stabilized." She smiled at Temari and Kankuro who both nodded.

"Could I come with you? I'd like to meet these people." Temari asked as Kankuro nodded.

"I'd like to come as well. You'll need escorts anyways." Sakura smiled.

"You're right about that. Well then I suppose it's settled. We'll leave the day after tomorrow, once the storm dies down. We'll have to tell Shishou and then we can leave. Ino is going to pitch a fit since the wedding is so soon, but she can handle the details." Gaara nodded as Temari grinned.

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Sakura smiled at her before turning back to the movie. It was getting late and the movie was ending when Sakura leaned back on the couch and yawned.

"Well I think I'm going to bed. Goodnight, I'll see you all in the morning." The others nodded and wished her a goodnight's sleep.

"Sleep well Sakura." Gaara whispered as she passed. She gave him a small smile and walked down the hall to her room. A few minutes later Temari stood up and stretched.

"I think I'll go to bed too. See you tomorrow. Goodnight guys." She yawned and Gaara and Kankuro nodded.

"Yeah I think I'll go to bed as well. Gaara are you coming?" Kankuro asked him. He nodded and stood up before walking down the hall to his room. He walked inside and shut the door before putting on his night clothes and settling into bed.

 _"I think that I owe Iori and his wife a great debt. Maybe I can repay them all by helping them with their money crisis. Sakura could have been in much more danger if they hadn't let us bring her in to their restaurant."_ He thought about this as he closed his eyes and fell into deep meditation. _"Yes I will definitely pay them back."_

End of Chapter 35


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Savior Sakura back at it again with the healing hands.

Gaara woke up and looked around the room with a start. For a moment, he was very confused. For one thing, it was now cold instead of warm and dry and he was most certainly not sitting on the rooftop in Suna. Realizing that he had been dreaming, he sighed and sat up in the bed.

It was a strange feeling, dreaming, most times he did not dream and when he did, it was usually very simple. Sitting on a rooftop, walking along the roads in Suna, things that he had done a million times before on nights when sleep escaped him. It was strange how the habits he had done when he had not been able to sleep returned now in the form of dreams. With a sigh he stood and grabbed his clothes and towel, deciding a warm shower would help clear his mind from the dream he had had.

He walked down the hall and turned on the shower, stepping in and letting the warm water relax his muscles. He did not spend long under the water, knowing that he still needed to wake up his brother and convince him to make the breakfast so he could sneak into Sakura's room.

He walked down the hall and put on clothes for the day before opening the door to his brother's room, being sure to loom over him before he shook his arm to wake him up. Predictably, Kankuro opened one eye lazily before shooting up in his bed with a start.

"It's your turn to make breakfast." Gaara stated with a blank expression as Kankuro rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

"You really need to work on your way of waking people up. I know you no longer have a demon in you, but looming over someone when you wake them up is a good way to end up with a kunai in the chest." Gaara stared at him before throwing him a towel.

"I save the looming for you." Kankuro shook his head as Gaara turned around and walked down to Sakura's room. He slipped in quietly and then shut the door. He turned around and looked at the bed, which was sadly empty. He didn't hear the shower running but heard the sound of her brushing her teeth.

With a smile, he sat down on her bed, picking up the medic pouch that lay there. A few minutes later she walked out of the bathroom, already wearing a pair of long black pants and her red medic top she used for working in the hospital. She turned to walk to the door and jumped a little when she noticed Gaara on her bed. He smiled at her as she raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Are you making a habit of sneaking into my room?" Gaara smiled as she walked closer to him and pulled her medic pouch out of his hands.

"Hmm just until we are married. Are you going somewhere?" He questioned, looking at her medic outfit.

"Shishou sent a scroll early this morning saying she needs me at the hospital today. Some people were severely injured traveling in the storm last night and one of the outer villages was hit far worse than expected and half of the town's apartments collapsed. There is a suspicion that there was sabotage involved. They are bringing the people who were hurt to the Konoha hospital. I'll be back by two this afternoon." Gaara looked concerned.

"Can I help in any way?" Sakura looked at him and then nodded.

"We could use any help right now. Shikamaru led a group of shinobi to the outer village to bring the people here and give shelter in our apartments to those who need it. You could help transport the wounded to the hospital." She looked at him and he nodded.

"Give me a minute to change and I'll meet you in the kitchen. Tell Temari and Kankuro, they will want to help." She nodded and they walked out of the room and into the hall where Gaara walked down to his room and Sakura went into the kitchen where a groggy Kankuro and Temari were sitting at the table eating toast.

"Morning Sakura. Where are you going?" Kankuro's brow furrowed as he noticed her outfit.

"One of the outer villages was hit severely by the storm. Half of the town collapsed. They are bringing the wounded to Konoha hospital along with some people from other villages and they need my help." Kankuro and Temari were more awake now looking at Sakura and nodding.

"What can we do to help?" Temari asked.

"You can join in the teams that are transporting people and go help clear off some of the snow from the rest of the town or you can come with Gaara and I to the hospital. This year's winter is the worst on record. These storms are really unusual." Kankuro nodded putting his plate in the sink.

"I'll go with the teams to the village and help with anything I can." Temari nodded.

"I'll help bring people to the hospital as they are being brought to Konoha. Sakura do you know how many?" Sakura nodded.

"They said at least eighty are reported injured and twenty missing." Temari nodded and looked at Kankuro. Gaara had just walked into the room in his usual clothing of his crimson coat and vest. He looked at Temari and Kankuro who were both still in their pajamas.

"We'll go get changed and join up with the teams. You two can go." Sakura nodded and grabbed her boots before grabbing her jacket and following Gaara out the door. She turned to him and he noticed a determined gleam in her eyes.

"Gaara can you transport us to near the hospital, it will save time." He nodded and she walked over to him as he slid his arm around her waist as they were transported by the sand to a spot on the street near the hospital. Several people jumped when they saw the two appear in the street but then started to whisper when they saw Sakura take Gaara's hand and begin to run down the street towards the hospital.

The first thing Gaara noticed was four shinobi carrying two stretchers into the hospital entrance each with a person on it. Sakura pulled on his hand as they hurried through the doors. Inside people were rushing about and many people sat on the chairs around the large waiting room with nurses running around checking on them. One nurse noticed Sakura and Gaara and called out above all of the rush.

"Sakura-san! Kazekage-sama!" She called them over and Sakura rushed over to her with Gaara following, no longer holding her hand. "We need people to talk to the people in the waiting room. These nurses are new and can't tell if someone is really hurt." Sakura nodded.

"Gaara you can help with that. Keep me on a constant alert of any serious injuries I need to attend to. Where's Tsunade?" The nurse told her to wait as she directed a nurse to a hallway and she took off running.

"She's checking the serious injury patients in the ICU." Sakura nodded.

"Great work. Keep me posted and get some of these nurses out of here and attending the patients that need it." She nodded and ran off to tell some of the nurses that seemed rather flustered and helpless. Sakura tugged on Gaara's arm and pulled him over to a spot off to the side of the crowd. "Gaara please walk around and ask the patients questions. The first is what their name is. The most important is do they have any pain or serious concerns such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, etc those need to be checked by a nurse and are priority. Also ask if they have any dizziness or vision blurring. Then any bleeding. If it is nothing serious, send them over there to the side of the room with blue carpet, the orderlies will arrange them in order of priority. If it is serious, call for a nurse. Here's a clipboard, write down each patient name and anything they tell you. Be specific but use abbreviations. Give them the sheet so the nurses can tell what is wrong with them. Call me over if anything is serious. Thank you so much." She looked at him with the same determined look in her eyes he'd seen earlier and when she had battled. She handed him a clipboard before reaching up and kissing him on the lips quickly. She then pointed to a row of chairs full of people. "You take them; I'll be on the row in front of you unless I am called away." He nodded.

"Don't worry about me, I can handle this." She nodded.

"I know you can, you're the Kazekage." She smiled before hurrying to a row of people. Gaara walked swiftly over to the first person in his row which was a young man.

"I'm going to need to ask you some questions. First of all, I need you to tell me your name." The man looked at him and nodded.

"Rorik Mitsume." Gaara nodded writing it down.

"Do you have any pain and where is it?" Rorik pointed to his chest.

"Here it feels like someone's stabbing me." Gaara nodded writing it down.

"Are you dizzy or having any trouble breathing?" He asked, his voice steady and even. Rorik nodded his head.

"It hurts when I breathe at all, it's just my chest." Gaara nodded.

"Is it something that needs to be looked at immediately?" Rorik shook his head.

"I can wait." Gaara handed him the paper with his information and sent him off to the other side of the room.

Gaara moved to the woman next to him. Ahead of him Sakura was doing the same. She was on her third patient and was asking the questions very sure, stern, and yet somehow soothing voice. She was about to move to the fourth patient when she saw a woman whose face was in serious discomfort. She looked to be pregnant and was clutching her stomach. Sakura rushed over and knelt down to her.

"Ma'am are you alright? Could you tell me exactly what is wrong?" Sakura asked putting a hand on her arm.

"I'm scared, I'm eight months pregnant and I don't know what's wrong. I'm worried about the baby." She had begun to cry as Sakura nodded and began to immediately take her pulse with the hand resting on Momo's arm.

"It's going to be ok Momo. I need you to tell me exactly where it hurts and what happened when it first started hurting." She nodded, shaking slightly.

"My stomach… it hurts. My building collapsed but I wasn't hurt, I was stuck under a desk. I don't know what happened….I mean it was so fast…it hurts, am I going into labor early?" She gasped out, clutching her stomach in pain.

Sakura's face hardened as she told her to lean back a little and uncross her arms from her stomach. She raised her hand glowing with green chakra and began to scan her stomach. She felt the baby's chakra and could feel that something was not right with the signals being sent there. She was going to go into early labor if she didn't help. Most times labor in the late eighth month was ok, but with the signals Sakura was reading, the placenta might detach before the baby was born and a caesarean section would be needed. Sakura reached up to her forehead and Momo's eyes grew wide.

"Just relax and let the chakra enter your head. If you fight it you could get hurt." She nodded as her body let the chakra in and relaxed. Sakura then turned to her stomach and pushed chakra into it, maintaining intense concentration until she could tell that Momo and the baby were going to be all right. "Ok you're going to be fine. You and the baby are going to be all right. We'll get you to a room and we'll monitor you for the next few days." Momo nodded sighing tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you, thank you so much…Miss?" Sakura smiled.

"Sakura Haruno." Momo's eyes got wide as she recognized the name. Sakura smiled and stood up. "Nurse! I need a wheelchair and a room for this woman! Hook her up to an IV and a heart monitor. Keep me posted on her condition in two hours." A nurse nodded rushing over with the wheelchair before helping her into the chair and wheeling her away to a room.

Sakura then move on to a little girl sitting on her mother's lap crying in a chair. She talked to her mother and sent her over to the blue carpet side of the room. She then moved onto the next few, looking over her shoulder to see Gaara calling over two nurses who took a man covered in blood away on a rolling stretcher. He looked up and caught her eye before giving her a reassuring nod. She nodded back and returned to questioning patients.

Once the row was done she moved onto the next one. Gaara was finished with his row and walked over to her new row, taking the other side. Most of the injuries were minor ones. Most were simply broken ribs or cuts, bruises, broken noses, minor fractures, lacerations, or minor breaks. There were only a few serious cases and Sakura was handling them with such ease that it didn't seem to be a problem. Once the row was finished Gaara walked over to Sakura who rubbed her brow and smiled at him.

"There seem to be no more serious injuries but the nurses say this is only the first group of people being brought in." Gaara reported to her. She nodded.

"I wonder how Kankuro and Temari are handling this. You are certainly handling this well." She smiled at him and Gaara smiled back.

"I find it amazing watching you work. You are so methodical and seem to know exactly what to do with every patient. These people are certainly lucky to have you." This made Sakura shake her head slightly as Gaara gave her a stern look. "It's true." She looked up at him, her cheeks a shade darker than her hair. He couldn't help but smile just as they were jarred out of their thoughts be a nurse calling Sakura over to a man with a broken leg. Gaara followed her, helping to lift him onto a stretcher and then turning back to Sakura.

"Gaara, we're lucky to have you here as well." She stated; her expression completely serious. He smiled as they went back to work as she was called off to the ICU.

"Temari can you clear off the snow from these roofs? They are in danger of collapsing as well." Kankuro called to her as he lifted a wooden beam from a pile of rubble. She nodded before pulling out her fan, sending a huge gust of wind knocking off the snow from the roofs of the houses near her. They were working hard at clearing the snow off the roofs of the houses still standing. The area was rather old and the houses weren't made to withstand such a harsh winter.

"Kankuro, Temari, good to have you here." Shikamaru's face looked incredibly serious as he walked over to them. They turned and nodded at him. "Where's Gaara?" He questioned, looking around for him amongst the shinobi helping clear debris.

"He went with Sakura to the hospital to help out. Speaking of which, we've pretty much cleared this whole road of debris and snow. Can we bring any injured or anyone else back to Konoha?" Shikamaru nodded.

"We have wagons bringing people back. You can help us in the far end of town. We're still missing fifteen people and there are a good deal more injured that we are sending to Konoha." Temari put her fan back on her back and looked at him.

"I'll go help bring people back, Kankuro can help look for them." Shikamaru looked at her and nodded.

"Thank you for your help. This shouldn't take much longer. The village will rebuild itself later. For now we just need to get the villagers to safety." They nodded and Shikamaru walked with them to the far end of town. The first thing Temari saw was Hinata and Neji standing in the street looking around, both with their byakugan activated. Neither one of them turned to look at the group as they approached but instead pointed to a rubble heap that must have formerly been a house.

"Shikamaru, there is a woman under that rubble. She's alive but needs medical attention quickly." They nodded and followed Neji's instructions digging into the rubble and moving it carefully before seeing the woman buried quite deep behind a fallen wall.

"We'll get you out just stay perfectly still." Temari called to the woman as she helped Kankuro move a large wooden beam. They carefully pulled the woman out, trying not to jostle her as two men with a stretcher came by and carefully lifted her onto it. "I'll go with them and bring back the injured." Kankuro nodded.

"I'll do what I can here to help." Temari smiled.

"Of course you will." He waved her off as she ran quickly alongside the stretcher. Kankuro turned to Neji and Hinata, following their directions to help Shikamaru move debris off another person, pulling them out of the rubble unharmed.

"Ms. Haruno! We need you in operating room three!" A nurse called loudly above all of the chatter of the waiting room. Sakura looked up from her patient sheet and handed it to Gaara before giving him an apologetic glance and running off towards the operating room. She had just gotten back from the ICU and was now being called away again. The woman sitting in the chair that Sakura was just questioning was surprised when she looked up and saw Gaara standing there in Sakura's place.

"Are you the Kazekage?" She questioned, her face clearly one of awe as she looked up at him. He nodded slightly.

"Normally yes, but today I'm just here to help." He said and continued questioning the woman before moving onto the next patient in the same routine. A few minutes later Tsunade's voice echoed through the room, jarring Gaara out of his methodical circle through the patients.

"Gaara! Someone wants to talk to you." She called, walking over to him. He nodded and handed his clipboard to a nurse who relieved him, following Tsunade down the hall. "Sakura helped a woman named Momo earlier in the waiting room. She was very close to going into early labor that would have required a rather risky cesarean section. Sakura saved her baby and wanted us to check on her in two hours. We went to check on her and she is doing better, but she requested you." Gaara looked surprised and Tsunade shrugged. "You have done enough in that waiting room for today. We only have a few more people coming in for treatment. Only three are serious. Temari is bringing them." Gaara nodded.

"I'll see her, but I don't know why she wants to see me." Tsunade shrugged.

"You are the Kazekage. You're someone people want to see. I have to run help another person with a shattered femur." She walked swiftly out of the room and down the hall as Gaara opened the door and walked in to see Momo sitting up in her bed.

"Oh my goodness Kazekage-sama! I'm so sorry Kazekage-sama I only meant for them to give you this letter. I didn't mean to make you come here I'm sure you're busy…" Gaara cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Please, I don't mind. My fiancée is unavailable so I wanted to personally come talk to you." Momo's eyes widened and she nodded.

"I had no idea Haruno-san was your fiancée. I just wanted to see if you could get this letter to where it needs to go. It is for my husband. He's in Suna right now. His name is Kyo Gato, he works as a negotiator for the elders of our village and Suna. I wanted to see him but I can't travel right now, not with the baby being so close to being born. He left right after Christmas and told me if anything happened that I was to contact him and I saw you in the waiting room and thought perhaps you could get this to him faster." Gaara nodded.

"I'll have a messenger bring it there directly. I myself am not leaving Konoha for a while, but I would be happy to send this there as an urgent message." Momo's eyes grew wide as she smiled and nodded.

"Thank you so much Kazekage-sama. I didn't think it would be alright to ask you but, I didn't know what to do. I won't keep you. Thank you again, so very much." He nodded.

"Of course." She smiled as he walked out of the room with the letter in his pocket. As soon as he was in the hallway a nurse called to him.

"Kazekage-sama your sister is here!" Gaara nodded and followed her back to the hectic waiting room where Temari was helping a little boy into a chair where a nurse attended to him. She looked up and, seeing Gaara, smiled.

"Hey Gaara how's it been going here?"

"Most of the patients are in treatment and almost all of them on their way to recovery." Temari smiled.

"So where's Sakura? Off saving lives somewhere?" She smiled and Gaara nodded.

"The last time I saw her she was running down to the operating room about half an hour ago." Temari shook her head.

"I have no idea how she does it. I could never handle the things she does. But we did handle the village rather well. All of the snow is cleared off the roofs and the last few people are being pulled out of the rubble. There are no fatalities. Kankuro and the others should be back in a few hours." Gaara nodded and they both went and sat down as the craziness of the waiting room settled down and the last of the patients were brought in.

The nurses slowly dwindled until only a few were walking around giving hot tea to the patients and bandaging the minor cases. The ones with fractures and broken ribs were being led into a room where the nurses and a doctor were attaching casts and wrapping the chests of rib patients. The others with cuts and bruises were being given the standard checkups in another room. Slowly the people began to dwindle as they were sent to the designated district of Konoha where there were lots of empty apartments that would be used until their town was rebuilt. Eventually an hour passed and the number of people still in the hospital waiting room was down to about twenty. One of the nurses sighed and sat down next to them.

"Finally it is down to a usual number." She smiled at them then was a little startled upon realizing who they were. "Oh Temari-sama, Kazekage-sama! You have been here helping?" They nodded. "Oh thank you, we needed it." She smiled, a bit embarrassed, and then stood up and walked away down the hall to check on the usual patients. Gaara looked up to see an exhausted looking Sakura walking down the hall.

"Surgery was a success." She declared, sitting down next to Gaara who smiled.

"Hey there hero, how are you?" A familiar voice called and they turned to see Kankuro walking up to them.

"Hi Kankuro, how did it go in the village?" Sakura smiled, looking up at him.

"The snow's all cleared off the roofs and the builders showed up as we were leaving. They are already planning on starting to reconstruct them after the snow clears. After they start they say it should be done in about a month." Sakura nodded. Kankuro smiled and plopped down on her other side, stretching and smiling at her. "So how were things here?"

"Crazy for a while but it's completely fine. No fatalities." Kankuro smiled.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. You were the driving force I am sure." He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well you guys helped just as much." A voice broke their conversation as Sakura turned to see Tsunade walking towards them.

"There you are Sakura. Nice work on that woman and her baby. Also with the surgery. I heard that the man is stable and should be fine, that was some nice work." Tsunade nodded to her proudly, walking up to them. "I am also glad to hear you three helped as well. We heard Kankuro helped dig people out and even our dear Kazekage got his hands dirty helping out in the waiting room." She thanked them all, which was a rare thing to hear coming from Tsunade after she had been at the hospital all day. "So Sakura says you all are heading to the village as well, to thank the bartender Iori and his wife."

"We would like to invite them to the wedding." Gaara stated.

"Well I think I'll send Kaguri along with you as an escort, a real escort this time." She stared at Gaara before continuing. "It seems he wants to want to go back as well. Meet him tomorrow at nine at the gate." Sakura nodded.

"Thank you Shishou." Tsunade smiled.

"You get special treatment now because I am in a good mood, but don't get too used to it. No student of mine gets things for free." She smiled and turned, waving goodbye to them as a flustered Shizune followed quickly after her, having only just appeared in the waiting room. Sakura laughed.

"I don't know about you, but I am going to clock out here, go home, eat some real food and then sleep. I am going to need the rest before we leave tomorrow." Temari grinned, standing up and stretching.

"That sounds like a plan to me." She smiled and slung her arm around Sakura's shoulders giving them a quick squeeze before dropping her arm and looking back at the boys. "Come on you two." They smiled and stood up walking next to the girls and out of the hospital. They turned down the street and walked slowly back towards Sakura's house.

"I'll cook dinner tonight. Do you guys like Tempura?" Temari asked as they turned onto Sakura's street.

"Sure Temari, that sounds great. What do you guys think?" Kankuro nodded.

"Any food is good tonight, even Temari's. I'm starving." He rubbed his stomach and walked into her house behind Gaara as Temari shot him an angry look. They all took off their jackets and boots, walking to the living room.

Temari went into the kitchen to start the Tempura. Gaara, being the first in the room, settled onto the smaller couch as Kankuro stretched out on the other. Sakura walked into the room after them, sitting down next to Gaara with a sigh. He smiled at her as she leaned against him. He was stiff for a moment before putting his arm around her and letting her curl up against him, not used to being affectionate in front of others.

Temari brought in the Tempura after a little while and they all ate it hungrily before putting their bowls in the sink and settling back into the same positions they were in. They talked for a while, switching the TV on and settling on a random show that they all watched with lazy expressions. As it came to an end, Temari looked over at Gaara and Sakura and smiled.

"Hey Gaara, it looks like your fiancée fell asleep. Why don't you bring her to bed, she's got to be exhausted." He nodded.

"Well that means you're stuck with Kankuro." Temari looked over at Kankuro who, of course, was sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep. His face paint was smudged and his mouth was hanging open. She rolled her eyes.

"He can sleep on the couch. I'm going to bed." She waved at him before walking out of the room. Gaara looked down at Sakura's sleeping form and stood up slowly, carefully picking her up in his arms and carrying her down the hall to her room. He set her in the bed and pulled the covers up around her before brushing her hair away from her face.

"Goodnight Sakura." He whispered softly, caressing her face once before standing up and walking quietly out of her room, shutting the door before going into his own room.

"Hey sleepy head get up." Temari's voice called into Gaara's room. He rubbed his head sitting up and glancing at the clock seeing it was about seven thirty. Wondering how he had managed to wake up later than Temari, he stood and dressed in his standard outfit. He walked into the kitchen and sat on a chair at the table, smirking as Kankuro handed him a plate of eggs.

"It makes up for me not making breakfast yesterday." Gaara nodded and ate them as Sakura walked into the room with her usual red shirt, medic skirt and black pants. She was tying her hitai-ate in her hair when she took her seat next to Gaara.

"Thanks for making breakfast." She smiled as Kankuro handed her a plate of eggs.

"No problem. Eat up and we can get to the gates a little early." She smiled and nodded, eating her eggs a little faster than normal. Temari was already done eating and was sliding into her cloak and closed toed sandals. Kankuro was already standing in his cloak as well.

She slid on the winterized Konoha travel cloak tossing her spare to Gaara who slid it on as well. "Well let's get going." Gaara nodded as they walked out the door. Sakura and the others looked at him strangely when he slid on a mask. Sakura then laughed, recognizing it as the mask he wore the last time they went to the village.

"I thought it would be good for Kaguri and the others to recognize me first as Gen." Sakura nodded. The group then set off to the gates where Kaguri was already waiting.

Upon their arrival he bowed to them."Hello Sakura-san, Temari-san, Kankuro-san. Oh, Gen, I didn't know you were coming. I thought the Kazekage was being escorted to the village, is he delayed?" Sakura shook her head.

"No he's here." She looked at Gaara as he took off the mask.

"I wasn't supposed to be on the mission." Kaguri nodded.

"That was quite well done Kazekage-sama. If it's alright of me to ask, why did you sneak on the mission Kazekage-sama, it was not a mission meant for someone of your caliber." Gaara glanced at Sakura then back to Kaguri.

"My fiancée was on the mission and I wouldn't let her go alone." Kaguri said nothing for a moment and then nodded.

"Congratulations to you both." Sakura nodded her thanks.

"We want you to come to the wedding on the twenty ninth. You helped us both so much, I know it is your job as an ANBU, but still." He nodded.

"I would be honored." Kankuro cleared his throat behind them, stepping forwards with a grin.

"Now that the big reveal is done, shouldn't we set out?" They nodded and set off through the gates, heading into the trees as a means to travel faster.

Kaguri traveled alongside Sakura, talking to her quietly for a while as the others trailed slightly behind them. He was a talkative ANBU and Sakura suspected she knew who he really was. She vaguely recalled treating him once and his voice occasionally slipped into a tone that she recognized. He was not in the Black Ops division and was therefore a little more open than most ANBU she had worked with.

After a few hours, they stopped for a rest, drinking some water and eating a bit of dried fruit that Sakura had packed.

They set off once again, Sakura falling into synchronization with Gaara. After another hour Kaguri signaled them to jump down into a clearing.

"We can walk from here. It's only about an hour away." Sakura nodded and Kankuro sighed.

"You know, I sure hope they have food where we're going." Temari glared at him before slapping him upside the head. "OW! What'd you do that for?" He scowled at her as Sakura shook her head.

"You are one of the biggest morons I know. I can't believe you just asked that! Were you even paying attention to where Sakura said we were going?" Temari shook her head in disbelief. "Come on let's get moving." She half growled as she stalked away, dragging Kankuro by his sleeve.

"What'd I say?" He mouthed to Sakura. She shook her head and followed them with Kaguri walking next to her.

"They are not always like this." Gaara said looking at Kaguri. He smiled.

"I don't mind, it reminds me of my family. I had a brother that was just like that. He always managed to say the stupidest things and it never failed to make me laugh." Sakura looked over at him, surprised that he was talking about his family. Most ANBU didn't become personal with anyone. Sure, she couldn't recall know his real name, but this little bit of information was personal and technically classified. She knew then that he was one of the few ANBU not completely entrenched in the system.

"Siblings are a great thing to have. I wished I had siblings when my parents died. I would have given anything to have a brother or sister or someone to lean on. That's how my friends became like my family. They had always been there for me and helped me. I see them as my siblings. No matter how annoying they are they will always be there for me." Kaguri nodded.

"Family is important but friends and comrades are your family too. Even if the bonds only last on the mission or even only during the fight, in that moment whoever your comrade or partner is are important to you." Gaara nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

They all walked in silence for the rest of the way. All except for Kankuro and Temari who were bickering as usual. They arrived in the town and Gaara slid his mask on again and Sakura henged her hair brown before walking up the road to the Inn and checking out two rooms.

"One for the girls and one for us." He stated to the woman at the counter. She nodded and handed over two keys, one of which Gaara handed to Sakura.

"The rooms are down the hall there." Gaara thanked her as the group walked to their room and placed their things inside, meeting outside of the girls room as soon as they were settled.

"Let's go meet this bartender and his wife! I'm absolutely starving!" Kankuro whined as Temari furrowed her brow but deterred any further arguments by walking next to Kaguri instead.

It was still cold in the small town, and the snow was fresh from the last storm, but luckily for all of them, the wind had died down. The group walked in relative silence down the street to the familiar sign with "The Farmer's Rest" written on it. Sakura smiled at Gaara as she opened the door and they walked inside.

The place was almost empty save for a few people at the tables and two familiar faces sitting at the bar. Kai and Kisho were in a discussion and didn't notice Gaara and Sakura sit down at the table behind them with Kaguri, Kankuro, and Temari.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret's out folks!

Kisho noticed some people walk in from outside and nudged Kai. "Hey I think I saw someone I knew walk in." Kai raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You mean like that guy that you thought was an old friend of yours and turned out to be a rogue that stole all of our produce? Yeah sorry, but unless you can identify them completely I'm not moving." Kisho grumbled.

"For the record, he was the cousin of the guy I used to know." Kai looked at him with an I-really-don't-care look and turned back to his food. Kisho was sure he knew the people that had just walked in but he couldn't see their faces clearly because two others he didn't know were sitting next to them and blocking their faces from view. He saw the side of a mask with red on it and his eyes widened. "Hey Iori! Yuri and Gen are back!" He called into the kitchen and Iori quickly walked out.

Kai turned around, remembering the couple that had been there a week or two before. He looked at the table where Kisho was pointing but only saw a blonde haired girl arguing with a guy with purple face paint. He turned to Kisho and glared.

"They look nothing like Yuri and Gen you moron!" Kisho protested quickly as Iori looked at them both with a questioning glance.

"No they are behind those people I'll prove it!" He turned back to the table and smiled. "Hey Gen! Yuri! Welcome back guys! Come on over here and sit with us!" A green eyed face popped up from the table and her face broke into a smile.

"Kai! Kisho! It's great to see you!" Temari stood up and followed Sakura over to the bar stool with Gaara, Kankuro, and Kaguri following them. Iori smiled at them both and called his wife in from the kitchen.

"It's great to see you both. Oh and Kaguri! How are you all doing?" Iori asked, grinning at them as they sat down at the bar with Gaara next to Kai and Sakura next to him.

"We are doing very well."

"I'm much better than when you last saw me!" Sakura smiled broadly at him.

"Yes, she was able to recover thanks to you and your wife's hospitality." Iori and his wife both waved away their compliments.

"We were doing what anyone would do in that situation." Sakura smiled but knew they were both just being modest. Iori's gaze turned to Temari and Kankuro who had been observing the exchange with quiet glances.

"Oh, and are these your friends?" Sakura turned and looked at Kankuro and Temari as her grin dropped a little.

"Yes, um we actually were wondering if we could talk to you in private." Iori was surprised but nodded.

"Come upstairs and we can talk. Rin mind the bar!" A girl nodded and walked over, taking Iori's place as he led them upstairs. His wife walked next to Sakura smiling and saying how happy she was to see her well again.

They got upstairs and all sat down on couches in their living room. Gaara and Sakura sat next to Kaguri and Kankuro and Temari sat on the other couch. Iori and his wife sat down on the largest couch across from Sakura and Gaara. "So Yuri what is it you wanted to talk about?" Iori asked, leaning back a little. Sakura looked at Gaara who nodded.

"Well we were not entirely truthful to you." The two looked confused for a split second until Sakura dropped the henge on her hair. "My name is Sakura Haruno. We were on a mission here and had to use fake names to maintain secrecy." Iori and the others were shocked.

"Sakura Haruno! You're the apprentice to the Hokage! Who would have thought that we wouldn't be able to recognize you." They gave her rather impressed glances before turning their gaze to Kaguri.

"I am an ANBU in Konoha, my cover was not necessary." They nodded and smiled at him as Iroi's wife laughed.

"I suppose Gen isn't his real name either." He said motioning to Gaara. Gaara shook his head.

"No it isn't." He took off his mask and put it next to him revealing his face that shocked them all in to silence. "My name is Sabaku no Gaara, these are my siblings Temari and Kankuro. We are in Konoha on business." Kankuro and Temari smiled and looked at the rather shocked pair sitting across from them. Temari was the first to break the silence.

"I'm so happy to meet you all. We were told about how you helped Sakura and wanted to thank you." Temari bowed slightly to Iori who nodded stiffly and then immediately looked back at Gaara.

"You are the Kazekage, correct?" Iori spoke slowly, completely in awe. He had heard about the person named Gaara that had become the Kazekage. Even in a small village like theirs the Sabaku siblings were known. Most people in the Fire Country knew their names but not many civilians were familiar with their faces. He was completely shocked that all three of them were sitting in his living room.

"Yes I am but for these purposes you may call me Gaara." Iori nodded and smiled as Gaara looked at them.

"I'm guessing then that you two aren't newlyweds then." Iori said looking between Gaara and Sakura. They shook their heads.

"Not yet at least. We actually came here to invite you to our wedding." Sakura said and they all became silent again. Iori began to laugh as his wife nodded enthusiastically.

"We would be honored to come to your wedding!" Iori nodded and stood next to his wife, shaking Gaara's hand.

"May you always be happy together." He smiled and Gaara and Sakura smiled back.

"Thank you. The wedding is on the 16th. You are welcome to come back to Konoha with us. We are heading back in two days." They nodded.

"If it isn't too much trouble then we would love to have the company in the travel." Iori's wife thanked her happily and Sakura smiled.

"Alright then I'll have my Shishou arrange things for your stay in Konoha." Temari and Kankuro stood up next to them and stretched.

"Well I'm sure you all are hungry, having traveled so much today. Would you like to come have some dinner downstairs?" They all nodded as Kankuro grinned.

"I am glad you suggested it I was getting a bit hungry." Iori shook his head as his wife laughed.

"I'll get cooking then! Would you all like some soup and rice with vegetables? It's the house special tonight." They nodded. She smiled and they all walked downstairs. Kai and Kisho were discussing something with Kaguri and they sat at the bar still talking as Sakura and Gaara sat on one side of their table with Kankuro and Temari on the other.

"They really are such nice people. I wish I could do more to help them. It must be hard on them after losing so much money to those rogues." Sakura said, shaking her head. Temari nodded. Gaara cleared his throat slightly, gaining the attention of his siblings and Sakura.

"I was thinking about that on the way here. This town needs the money to get back on its feet. Konoha is helping with taking care of the lord's duties but I feel like I owe the people here, I want to give them some money." She looked at Gaara and was surprised.

"I think that's a great idea Gaara. How much do you want to give them?" Gaara thought about it for a moment.

"As much as they need to cover repairs and such. A few thousand." They all were equally shocked by this number and Kankuro shook his head a little.

"That's an awfully large amount of money." Sakura nodded.

"But I think he's right, they do need it." Temari nodded.

"I agree, but where are we going to get the money? The elders won't go along with it and you know you need their approval for such a large amount." Kankuro gave Gaara a serious look.

"We'll get the people of Konoha and Suna to raise it." Gaara looked at Kankuro and Temari stared at him in disbelief.

"Like donations? It's a good idea, but how are we going to raise that much through donations?" Kankuro shrugged.

"They're huge villages I'm sure we can do it. Besides, everyone will be willing to help the Kazekage and the Hokage's daughter." Temari nodded.

"He has a point. You two can announce it at your wedding speech in Konoha. I know that people of importance will be at that speech. I'm sure plenty of people will give money immediately. I think we can raise a lot more than just a few thousand, enough to really get the town back on its feet." Sakura smiled.

"I'll donate a hundred. I know my Shishou will donate a lot as well. All of my friends, their families, and the Sensei. That's already at least a thousand, maybe more if some of the larger clans help out. The Hyuugas and Inuzukas and such." Temari nodded.

"We'll pitch in a few hundred and that makes around two or three thousand already." Gaara nodded.

"I think we can do this easily. Now that that is settled, what is there to do in this town?" Temari asked as Iori's wife brought their food over.

"Oh if you are looking for things to do you can always visit the shops in town and the forest is beautiful this time of year. Bundle up if you go out though it is rather cold." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"We'll be sure to bundle up. I think I might take a walk tomorrow through the forest now that it's safe. Maybe Temari can come with me." Temari nodded sipping her soup.

"I would love to. Oh this soup is delicious! Thank you very much!" She smiled and Iori's wife waved her off.

"Oh it's nothing dear really." She blushed and hid her face behind her hand before walking back to the kitchen. Sakura and the others ate quietly, talking about the donations until Kaguri came over and sat next to Kankuro. They told him about the plan and he agreed to donate fifty at least.

"I'm sorry I can't do more but I am sparing at the moment." They nodded and smiled.

"It is certainly enough to make a difference." Kaguri nodded as they finished up their meal and called goodbye to everyone before paying for their meals and grabbing their coats and cloaks before walking out into the snowy streets.

"Is it snowy all winter in the Fire Country?" Temari asked and Kaguri chuckled.

"Not every year and it really only snows on and off for three months. This year is unusual but we're mostly used to it." Sakura nodded.

"I remember that ever since I was little it snowed nearly every year on Christmas." Kaguri smiled.

"Yes I don't think we have not had snow on Christmas since the first Hokage." Kankuro shook his head and laughed.

"In Suna one year the sand blew so hard on Christmas that it piled up against our door. I pretended it was snow and we were snowed in. It made it seem like it really was Christmas. To be honest I hadn't seen snow until I came to the Fire Country on a mission when I was a Genin. I freaked out and felt like I was going to freeze. I remember Gaara went into one of his fits and refused to come down from a tree. Temari you were the only one who wasn't freaking out. Baki was yelling at me and trying to get me to let go of him and Gaara was simply stubborn. It took an hour just to calm us both down." Sakura laughed and Gaara merely shook his head.

"I remember that. Baki was not happy with you at all Kankuro." He shrugged.

"Eh he was just a stick in the mud sometimes." Temari rolled her eyes.

"He's lucky to have survived teaching our team." Sakura silently agreed with Temari as she remembered the hardened Baki she vaguely knew and remembered.

The conversation dwindled as they walked into the Inn and down the hall to their rooms. Sakura and Temari said goodnight to the guys and went into their room as the guys went into theirs. Temari looked at Sakura and smiled as they entered the room and discarded their cloaks.

"Do you want to talk for a while? I want to talk about when you come to Suna." Sakura looked at her and nodded.

"Sure Temari, I'm going to put on my pajamas and brush my teeth, then I'll come back in here." Temari nodded as Sakura grabbed them out of her bag and walked into the bathroom to change and clean up.

Temari decided to change herself and pulled on a black top and pants before sitting on the couch and waiting for Sakura. She came out of the bathroom in her pink top with the cherry blossom flowers on it and her red pants. She walked over to the couch and sat down, facing Temari. "So what did you want to talk about regarding Suna?"

"Well when you and Gaara move there you will be in the house we own. Kankuro and I have separate houses attached to it, it's sort of like a compound in a way. But you'll see it when you get there. What I really wanted to ask was if you are going to become the head of the hospital." Sakura thought about this for a moment before nodding.

"It was the plan to, yes. I think Shishou wants me to as well and I think I can get more done that way so I believe I will. I was wondering if Suna has a good program for shinobi training." Temari nodded.

"It's been reformed since Gaara became Kazekage. Why do you ask? Do you want to become a teacher?" Sakura shook her head.

"No I wasn't thinking about me." Temari's eyes widened and she stood up.

"Are you pregnant?!" She hissed in a shocked tone as Sakura waved her hands in front of her in protest as she got a slightly hyperventilating Temari to sit down.

"Temari how in the world could I possibly be pregnant?" Temari looked at her and searched her eyes. She saw that Sakura wasn't lying and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh that's ok then. I figured my brother would be the more 'wild' type." She laughed a little as Sakura rolled her eyes at her obvious jab at their non-existent sex life, truthfully she just hadn't felt the need to.

"Speaking of types, what's going on with you and Shikamaru?" Temari looked at her and immediately made her facial expressions as neutral as possible.

"I don't know what you mean he's just my friend." Sakura looked at her and smiled.

"Oh come on Temari we both know that's not true. So tell me, did Konoha's laziest shinobi ask you out officially yet?" Temari shook her head.

"Not specifically, but you're right, we've been sort of seeing each other, for a while actually. To tell you the truth, I wish he would just get off his lazy ass and ask me out properly. I mean, we've walked around Konoha a few times and met up after missions and such, even during missions when we ran into each other. But the bum won't even take me out to dinner, or lunch." She sighed. Sakura looked at her and smiled.

"I can help you Temari. I know Shikamaru likes you a lot. He had more or less told me that. He's been one of my best friends since I was younger and I can tell when he really likes someone. I can get him to ask you out on an official date without him knowing you are upset that he hasn't." Temari laughed and then smiled.

"Thanks Sakura, it's a tough situation to be in you know? Well I guess you don't, seeing as how you and Gaara figured it all out so quickly. I am still amazed at that by the way. You just jumped in head first, but truthfully, I don't think either of you are the dating type." She paused and then sighed. "I can't wait until we're sisters, I feel like we are already." She laid her hand on Sakura's arm as her voice took on a very genuine tone. "I'm glad he found you." Sakura smiled at her and then sighed.

"I'm glad he did as well. I think somehow after that retrieval mission we were linked." Temari watched her intently and then, bumped Sakura's arm lightly with her arm, breaking the atmosphere with a smile.

"You want to hear some stories about Kankuro's horrendous dating life?" Sakura laughed but was immediately intrigued as Temari started off with a story about a girl Kankuro had tried to impress for a month.

Sakura was laughing so hard at the end of a story about Kankuro, a scorpion, a Genin, and a very angry Sensei that Temari broke down herself, gasping as she tried to finish that story. "A-and then he – he tried to say that it wasn't his stinger, it was the scorpion!" Sakura doubled over, clutching her stomach as she wheezed with laughter, Temari's snorting laugh covering up her near silent one.

They finally calmed down, wiping away tears and snorting occasionally when one of them mumbled the word 'stinger.' Temari stood up first and stretched, walking over to the bed and crawling under the covers.

"I'm going to sleep, recalling Kankuro's stupidity always makes me tired." Sakura giggled and then crawled into the other single bed in the room.

"Goodnight Temari." Sakura said.

"Goodnight Sakura." She replied. They shut the lamps near their beds off and both closed their eyes, drifting off into sleep. Sakura felt herself opening her eyes and saw Inner sitting next to her poking her face.

**_"Oh good I thought you were dead."_ ** _Sakura rolled her eyes and sat up._

_"If I was dead you would be too." Inner waved her off._

**_"Details, details, so Temari thought you were pregnant? Interesting topic_ ** _." She gave Sakura a slightly sadistic smile and Sakura glared at her **. "So are you planning on having kids soon?"**_

_"In the future Inner I'm not even married yet." Inner smiled and laughed._

**_"Oh come on you love the kids at the hospital! You always sneak into the children's ward on your breaks. Not to mention that dream you had a while ago. You know, where you were pregnant and sitting in that field. You seemed pretty happy about that dream. You even told Gaara it was a good dream."_ ** _She said crossing her arms. Sakura sighed._

_"Yeah well, it was a good dream. I was happy and Gaara was there. Everything seemed to be going great. The fact that I was pregnant just showed me that I was happy in my marriage to him. Besides it was just a dream." Inner shook her head._

**_"You know that's not it."_ ** _She gave Sakura a scrutinizing glance and Sakura merely growled back._

_"Inner drop it." Inner put her hands up in surrender and closed her eyes._

**_"Fine! I don't really care. I'm just excited that you're getting married and going to have a life. Honestly before this your life was pretty repetitive. It was mostly just missions and training then work. Nothing was really your life. You were just doing what you needed to. Sure the missions were different but not really."_ ** _Sakura glared at her a little but then sighed._

_"Yeah this is going to be a lot different. But I'll still be doing missions and I'll be running the hospital as well as working there. Also I'll be married and be living in Suna instead of Konoha. Not to mention Gaara's the Kazekage so that comes with new responsibilities as his wife and my adoptive mother is the Hokage so I think I'll become a major negotiator between the two villages." Inner grinned._

**_"Well that sounds like a very different life. It's time for you to go."_ ** _Sakura nodded and felt herself starting to wake up._

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up stretching a little before looking over at Temari, who was still sleeping, before sliding out of bed.

She stood up and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower and taking off her pajamas, throwing them on the sink with a sigh.

She looked at herself in the mirror and ran her fingers gently across the mark on her neck, it was a strange thing to have a mark she couldn't heal away. The thin scar on her stomach was the only preventable blemish she had ever allowed. She could have healed it long before, she could technically still heal it, but, like some shinobi, she chose to keep this scar to reminder her of something. In case of that scar, it was to remind her of the battle she almost didn't win and of a sacrifice.

She turned from the mirror and stuck her hand in the running water of the shower to check its temperature before sliding under the spray. She washed quickly and jumped out of the shower before drying off and blow-drying her hair. She assumed the noise would wake Temari but it wasn't too early in the morning and she knew Temari wouldn't mind.

She wrapped a towel around herself before exiting the bathroom as soon as she was finished. As she moved to where her clothes lay in her pack, she was surprised to see Temari stir in the bed and then still. Sakura shook her head. It was truly amazing how a shinobi could wake at the slightest sound when on a mission but sleep through most things when they were at ease.

She looked for her clothes with an amused expression, finding them and sliding them on quickly. With a quick glance around, she grabbed her pack full of weapons and medic supplies. Once they were strapped to her hip, her next task was to wake Temari up.

"Hey Temari it's about time we were getting up. Let's go get some breakfast!" Her voice was kept as gentle as possible while still managing to get Temari up. Temari opened her eyes and gave Sakura a groggy smile.

"Morning to you too Sakura. I'll get dressed and meet you in the lobby." She waved her off with a yawn as she sat up in the bed. Satisfied that she was at least mostly awake, Sakura walked out of the room. She shut the door and turned around, immediately bumping into Gaara.

"Oh, well good morning Gaara." She smiled at him as he gave her a soft look in return.

"Good morning Sakura. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did actually. Are Kankuro and Kaguri up yet?" Gaara nodded.

"Kaguri's in the lobby and Kankuro is getting dressed. Is Temari up yet?" Sakura shrugged.

"She's awake but I don't think she's out of bed yet." Gaara acknowledged this with a small noise in his throat. "I'm sure she'll be out in a bit. We might as well go meet Kaguri in the lobby." Sakura waved her hand at the door to her room and motioned for Gaara to walk down the hall with her to the lobby where Kaguri was waiting at a table.

"Good morning Sakura-san, Gaara-sama. It seems word as got out about your engagement." He showed them a newspaper he was reading with the main headline spouting the news in bold, black print for all the nations to see.

_Kazekage Engaged to Hokage's Daughter_

"Ah so the secret finally got let out. I wondered when everyone would find out. But I think it's funny they said the Hokage's daughter. That part is more recent. Oh well what does the article say?" Sakura glanced over his shoulder as Kaguri looked down and began to read it aloud.

"The Fifth Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara has recently become engaged to Sakura Haruno of Konoha. The alliance between Konoha and Suna will be strengthened by this marriage as Haruno holds a high ranking in Konoha and is one of the most prestigious members of the medical community. She is the student of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade and is also, as we were recently informed, her newly adopted daughter. Haruno's parents died many years before." Kaguri paused as Sakura nodded and he continued.

"The wedding in Konoha will take place on the 16th of this month and will be private. The Kazekage will return with Haruno to Suna soon after the wedding in Konoha. A public wedding in Suna will be taking place at a later date. Friends of the couple say the marriage was not arranged or planned by officials. 'The strengthening between villages was only thought of after they became engaged.' The Hokage stated. The Hokage will be conducting both ceremonies. Haruno and the Kazekage are expected to give statements later this week." Sakura looked at Gaara and sighed.

"Looks like we're going to be the center of attention now." Sakura mused.

"I feel even more honored that I'm invited to your private wedding." Sakura laughed.

"You also helped get me back to Konoha when I was hurt so I owe you." He smiled.

"You forget that you once saved my life after a botched mission. I owed you." Sakura shook her head and sat down at the table he was sitting at.

"Well then, we'll call it even with you attending our wedding." Kaguri chuckled just as Kankuro showed up and sat down in a chair.

"Morning everyone! What's new in the exciting lives of our group?" Kaguri handed him the newspaper and he read it, chuckling and shooting his brother amused glances.

"Well that is quite interesting. You guys won't be left alone until both weddings are over." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You won't either since you are Gaara's brother and my future brother-in-law. They will be talking to you as much as they will talk to us." Kankuro shrugged and grabbed a piece of toast from the breakfast counter.

"So? I won't mind being in the spotlight. It doesn't bother me." Kaguri shook his head.

"You'll probably change your mind when everywhere you go people want to ask you questions." Kankuro smiled broadly.

"Well, just think of all the girls I'll meet that way!" Sakura scowled and hit him lightly on the arm making him chuckle. Temari walked up to the table with a yawn, smiling as she heard their laughter.

"Good morning everyone! Glad to see you're all in good spirits today." She smiled and grabbed an orange off the breakfast counter, peeling it as she walked over.

"Yes, we were talking about the article in the paper." Gaara motioned to the paper as Kaguri handed it to Temari who read it with a sigh.

"I guess this means we'll not be left alone until you're married huh?" Sakura shrugged.

"People in Konoha will want to congratulate us but it shouldn't be too bad. With a Hokage like my Shishou and residents like Naruto, we have our fair share of excitement so big news with officials often is not over celebrated. Kankuro says he doesn't mind being in the limelight, but I think he will eventually." Temari shot her brother a look.

"Knowing you Kankuro, you probably will use it to flirt with the reporters!" He grinned.

"Oh come on Temari give me a little more credit! They are just asking for it by sticking their noses into other people's business." Temari hit him over the head and he rubbed it sorely.

"What is it with you people and hitting me?" Sakura and Temari both rolled their eyes. "You're annoying, that's why." He rolled his eyes right back at her. "So changing the topic, we're going on a walk in the forest today right?" Sakura nodded.

"We can go now if everyone's had enough to eat, do you guys want to come with us?" They nodded, having all been eating amongst the discussion. Sakura smiled as they all got up to leave, pulling on their cloaks as they walked over to the door.

End of Chapter 37


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a wonderful way to be woken up.

"So you three came here on a mission right?" Kankuro asked as soon as they walked into the forest. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah I was here for a recon mission at first but then I received ANBU backup to help take down the group of rogues should I find anything, which I did. There was a hideout in the forest but we pretty much destroyed it. Well technically it was mostly that giant bug the lord had, there was a lot of smashing going on." Temari raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask.

"Well I for one would like to see the extent of the destruction you caused." Kankuro grinned at her.

"Sure, it wouldn't hurt to see it. The ANBU cleared it out after the fight but I'm sure they didn't fix it. I still know where it is so just follow me." They nodded and jumped up into the trees. Gaara glanced at Sakura and saw that she had a strange look on her face but it quickly faded when she jumped down to the ground a few minutes later. They landed near a giant crater in the ground full of broken rocks and pillars.

"Nice work. It seems like it was a rather large target. I'm surprised you dodged all of the falling pillars." Kankuro appraised, looking over the scene in front of him.

"We are shinobi Kankuro; we're expected to do things like that." He laughed.

"Yeah but that doesn't always happen."

Temari looked around and saw the deep ruts from the fight that had followed. "The ANBU did a pretty good job cleaning up. It must have been hell trying to get rid of the blood stains, good thing it had just snowed. In Suna we just cover it up with more sand or get rid of the stained sand. It isn't that hard to disguise a fight when it happened in a desert. It makes it quite hard when people are murdered. Sometimes there is no evidence besides the body." Kankuro nodded.

"Can't imagine trying to get blood out of grass. It looks like this was just an old structure that collapsed. They made it seem like nothing happened." Kaguri nodded.

"We are trained to leave no trace. We clean up after fights so that we can maintain our cover. In this case it was to keep the citizens mostly in the dark about what happened. If we are critically injured and have no chance of making it we are supposed to get rid of our bodies. That way we leave absolutely no trace." Kaguri stated in a monotone voice, common among ANBU, as he looked around and then back to Kankuro. They jumped down into the pit and walked around for a little while. They began explaining the fight and Kankuro immediately wanted to know everything in detail.

"So what happened after this fight?" Gaara looked at him and said simply,

"We went to investigate the lord's house. Sakura went in undercover as a new maid. She got blind sighted, knocked out and taken back here a few yards away." Kankuro looked at Sakura who merely shrugged.

"Let's go see the rest of this fight." She nodded and they continued across the trees for a while, explaining what lead up to the main fight.

"This was the fight where Sakura killed the woman. She was a defector from Sound." Gaara spit the words out with disgust as Kankuro frowned.

"As if Orochimaru wasn't bad enough." Kankuro shook his head as they dropped down into the clearing where a large circle was left from the force field and large ruts could be seen both inside and outside of it.

Sakura walked over to it as Kaguri explained the fight in detail to Kankuro and Temari. Gaara turned from them to watch Sakura walk over to the circle in the snow, stepping inside before looking down at the ground and following the marks with her eyes. She saw the whole fight clearly in her head. Most of all she heard Tara's horrible screams and saw those dead blue eyes in her dummy that looked so much like Naruto's.

She didn't realize she had sunk to her knees and was only aware when she felt the cold of the snow under her fingers and knees as she ran her hand along a rut and followed it with her eyes. She knew this was where a kunai had flown past her from the puppet body. She stopped as she saw a few red drops of blood near a particularly large rut in the ground. She stood and walked over to it, scooping up the snow and staring at it as the searing pain returned to her side as if she had been freshly cut with Tara's katana only a few moments before. She wrapped an arm around her side in a knee-jerk reaction sort of way. Inwardly she knew something was going on with her and she was trying her best to fight the odd feelings. She started slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Gaara's turquoise eyes looking down at her.

"Are you alright Sakura?" He asked. She blinked and then smiled in what she hoped was a convincing way.

"I found a patch of snow they missed. But that's to be expected." She smiled and stood up, letting the snow fall from her fingers as she walked back over to Kankuro, Temari, and Kaguri where Kaguri was explaining how they got help for Sakura.

"Man Gaara you got to go on an exciting mission. I can't remember the last time I had one of those." Gaara shook his head at his brother.

"I'll make sure I send you on some A level missions when I get back to Suna." Kankuro smiled and Temari smirked.

"You get so eager to be in danger that you get hurt before you even leave. Remember last time? You fell off the wall before you were even out of the gates and forgot to use your chakra to cushion your fall. You broke an arm and couldn't go on the mission." Kankuro scowled at his sister and immediately began to defend himself.

 _"That sounds exactly like Naruto. He always did get overly excited for missions."_ She smiled as Kankuro finally gave up his protests and moodily suggested they go get something to eat in town. They began to leave the forest, Gaara and Sakura traveling behind the rest as he continued to stare at her.

"Are you sure you're ok?" He whispered. She looked at him and nodded.

"I'm fine Gaara, don't worry about me." She gave him another smile before walking ahead and jumping into the trees. Gaara ran alongside her and knew that she was hiding something. She was not a person to react that way to a retelling of a fight, no matter how serious it was.

_"There's something more to the fight she had with Tara I just don't know what happened."_

He jumped over to Sakura and watched as she leapt from branch to branch with a smile plastered on her face. Gaara could tell she was trying her best not to show she was thinking about something else but he could sense that she was troubled about something. Her chakra was fluctuating in a way that he knew meant she was agitated.

If she wasn't going to say anything he would just have to get her to tell him later.

"So, where to for lunch?" Sakura asked, looking at Kaguri.

"There is a little dango shop I saw on the way into town." Kankuro grinned.

"I'm all for it. Dango sounds delicious." He smiled and grabbed onto Sakura's arm, pulling her down the street at a fast pace. "Come on, I'm treating you to dango." Sakura was a bit unresponsive as the rest of them followed Kankuro and Sakura down the street and into the little dango shop.

"Oh hello, please, come in, you'll catch a death of cold out there!" The old woman behind the counter came over and ushered them in before clapping her hands together and smiling at them. "Now what will it be dears?" Kankuro held up his hand as Sakura went to speak.

"I'll have mitarashi dango and she'll have the same." Kankuro said speaking for Sakura. The old woman nodded and smiled at them as Sakura crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Kankuro. The woman turned to Gaara and Temari.

"Um I think we'll all have the mitarashi dango." Temari said, knowing that neither she, nor Gaara ever ate dango. Kaguri seemed fine with this as he made no move to correct her.

"Alright then, I'll get my granddaughter to make the dango while I bring you some nice hot tea." She smiled at them and shuffled back behind the counter, talking to a younger girl holding a pot. The girl nodded as the old woman put the tea kettle on the stove before walking over to them. They were all sitting down and she smiled at them before sitting herself. "I'm sorry if I seem so forward, I'm just so curious since I haven't seen any of you in town before. Are you passing through?" Sakura smiled at her and shook her head.

"We are visiting friends." The old woman nodded and smiled.

"Oh did you travel far? This weather has been horrible! One of the worst winters I can remember." Temari nodded.

"I agree. We live rather far away but they live in Konoha." She pointed to Kaguri and Sakura. The old woman looked at them and broke into an open mouthed grin.

"I recognized the ANBU mask. Oh did you hear about the Kazekage marrying Sakura Haruno? I was so surprised! Do you know Haruno by any chance? I have not met her but I wanted to. I have heard so many good things, you look a bit like her actually, pink hair is such a rare trait!" She smiled warmly at Sakura who couldn't help but smile back at the woman's comment. "I was actually hoping she could help my granddaughter out. I'm sure it would be much too expensive though. She has trouble breathing and I'm concerned about her. All of the village doctors said she has a cold but it's been getting worse. Oh dear, I'm sorry, I'm boring you with my talk!" She blushed a little and Kankuro shook his head.

"No it's fine. I enjoy hearing someone other than them talking for a while." He grinned and Sakura lightly hit his arm.

"What he means is that it doesn't bother us." The old woman looked at them and smiled.

"Oh I'm sure your husband was just teasing." Sakura looked at Kankuro in surprise then quickly shook her head.

"Oh he's not my husband!" The old woman looked at them before putting a hand to her mouth in embarrassment.

"Oh I'm so sorry to assume! I thought he was because of your wedding ring. It's quite pretty." Sakura smiled. Kankuro leaned over towards the old woman and motioned to Sakura.

"She's actually my soon-to-be sister-in-law, my brother snagged her first." The old woman looked at her and smiled, her eyes twinkling a little.

"Oh congratulations! Is this young man your fiancé?" She immediately looked at Gaara. He had been looking away for the entire time but turned to face the woman as he was drawn into the conversation.

"Yes we are getting married in eight days. We are here to invite our friends to the wedding." The old woman smiled happily at them both.

"Oh that's wonderful to hear! Young love is always such a nice thing." The tea kettle screeched and the woman got up, pouring them all cups of tea. She paused when she reached Gaara, looking back and forth between him and Sakura. She said nothing but Sakura could see she was getting very suspicious.

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted as the dango was brought in by the woman's granddaughter. Sakura watched as she moved about and could see she was having many difficulties breathing. When the girl had served the food, Sakura stopped her return to the kitchen with an outstretched arm and looked at the old woman.

"Pardon me, but I am trained in medical healing. Can I examine your granddaughter? If that would be all right with you." Her granddaughter looked to her grandmother who nodded.

"You are surely welcome to examine her. Perhaps you can find something the doctors here can't. You are welcome to use the back room." Sakura nodded and left with the girl, leaving her food for later as she walked into the back room. The old woman stayed with the group, drinking tea and listening to Kankuro talk.

Sakura looked at the young woman with concern as she breathed with shuddering gasps. Sakura sighed and immediately began going into her 'medic mode'. She pulled off her medical pouch and set it on the table, telling the woman to lie down on a cot in the back storage room. She did and Sakura gave her a small smile as she let her hands hover over the girl's chest.

"Now I want you to breathe in deep for me. Don't worry about the tingling feeling, I'm just monitoring you. Let the chakra enter your body." The woman nodded and breathed in a shuddering, short breath and let it out, coughing a little. Sakura nodded as she felt an intrusion in the woman's lungs. She sent in some chakra and furrowed her brow as she worked her chakra through the system and into her lungs. She felt a definite lump there and looked at the woman with a smile. "Ok well there is definitely something in your left lung. Do you have any pain in your chest?" The woman nodded. "Ok I'm going to push lightly on your chest and you keep breathing normally, tell me where it hurts." She nodded again and Sakura pushed around on her chest until she let out a pained gasp. Sakura looked at her and removed her hands carefully; keeping her face in a small smile so as not to cause any panic.

"Please is it…..bad?" The woman gasped out grabbing onto Sakura's arm. She saw the panic she was hoping to avoid in the woman's eyes and looked at her kindly.

"It isn't good, but it can be treated. I can get you into Konoha Hospital and have it thoroughly checked out where there are medical tools to be utilized." The woman looked a little frightened but Sakura walked with her back into the room. The old woman looked at her with a pleading look as she returned.

"What is it? Is it something bad?" She asked walking over to her granddaughter and promptly making her sit down. Sakura looked at her and smiled lightly.

"The good news is, it can be treated. It should be a relatively simple procedure. I can get her in for a thorough examination and treatment at Konoha Hospital." The old woman looked at her with sad eyes then back at her granddaughter who shook her head.

"We don't have the money. I know they offer free treatment to shinobi and civilians involved in disasters, but not to us, we aren't residents of Konoha after all." She seemed on the verge of tears as the faces in the room immediately softened. The old woman's granddaughter smiled at Sakura and weakly held out her hand.

"Thank you for…looking at….me." Sakura heard her cough again and she looked at the old woman.

"I can get you in for free." The old woman looked at her in disbelief and she smiled.

"But how? Do you work there? I can't let you pay for us!" Sakura stopped her.

"I can get you in for free. We also have a program for things like this. Paying for treatment in Konoha is relatively unheard of. I am leaving for Konoha the day after tomorrow but we can leave earlier and take your granddaughter back with us. She won't need to walk so it will not be a stressful journey and we can bring you as well. We are bringing our friends back to Konoha and I'm sure they wouldn't mind leaving early." The old woman looked at her and burst into tears hugging her tightly and patting her head.

"Oh you are so kind and generous! Oh but now I know for sure who you are, you are Sakura Haruno! I thought as much but I wasn't going to make assumptions but frankly, the hair gave it away. Then this must be the Kazekage and his siblings!" She gasped as she realized the extent of whom she was meeting.

"We are." Gaara affirmed as the girl grasped the edge of Sakura's cloak, gaining her attention once more.

"I can't…ever thank you…enough. My name is… May-rin." Sakura smiled and took her hand.

"Nice to meet you May-rin. Don't worry we will get you all fixed up. I will personally attend to you."

"I'm so thankful that you were in this town this week Haruno-san." The old woman said taking Sakura's hands in her own and bowing as she did so. Sakura smiled back at her.

"I'm glad that I can help her. I'll pick you both up tomorrow. Make sure you have blankets and plenty of warm clothes. She'll need to stay warm and rest." The old woman nodded profusely.

"I cannot thank you enough! We'll be ready tomorrow!" She thanked them all before they nodded to her and left her and May-rin in very good spirits. Sakura had grabbed her dango and was munching on them as they left. They were only a few steps outside when Gaara caught Sakura's wrist and looked down at her as she gave him a surprised glance. Usually he was not open in public.

"You are very generous Sakura. You have the heart of a great medic." Sakura smiled at him as he let go of her and gave her one of his rare genuine smiles that actually reached his eyes. She knew she was one of a mere handful that had ever seen him smile like that or received such praise from him.

Temari and Kankuro walked alongside Sakura as Gaara left her side and walked ahead of them, talking quietly for a moment with Kaguri before continuing in silence.

They were all rather quiet as they walked to The Farmer's Rest to talk to Iori and his wife about leaving the next day instead of in two days. Upon their arrival, the group was happily welcomed.

They described their situation to the couple who hardily agreed and gave the group supper to take back to the hotel before stating that they knew the grandmother and her granddaughter and were very happy that they could help the girl.

The group talked with the couple for a while before thanking them and leaving the bar in high spirits.

The walk back to the Inn was a quiet one aside from the sound of snow crunching beneath their feet. Sakura felt tired already and Kankuro noticed this in the form of her slowing steps. She saw him watching her and quickly picked up her pace shaking her head and striking up a conversation with Kaguri. She was discussing how they were going to get both May-rin and her Grandmother back to Konoha. Noticing that she was merely making conversation, he shook his head.

"Haruno-san, I don't mean to be rude but I assume you already know how." She rolled her eyes a little and turned her head away.

"Well I thought I'd ask you anyways. You are the ANBU in the group, so I assumed you would have good input. I suppose Temari would help though, right Temari?" Temari looked at Sakura and grinned, noticing her teasing smile.

"Sure thing Sakura!" She winked at Sakura and Sakura smiled back, a little less enthusiastic.

Kankuro, noticed this exchange and hung back with Gaara and Kaguri as the girls went ahead. Temari was practically dragging Sakura by the arm that looped with hers while Sakura walked along a step behind. She was emotionally drained and it was not helping her focus. Kankuro looked at Gaara who was talking quietly to Kaguri.

"Hey Gaara, I don't mean to alarm you, but I think you should talk to Sakura." His voice was serious and even, immediately gaining Gaara's full attention. Gaara looked over at him with a frown before they all looked at Sakura who was keeping up with Temari now and listening to her talk while nodding occasionally. Gaara furrowed his brow.

"Do you notice something wrong?" Kankuro looked at him and shrugged.

"She seems exhausted. She was dragging her feet earlier and has been acting rather tired. I don't think I've ever seen Sakura tire this easily. But it might just be me." Kaguri shook his head.

"I have heard that only after working for several straight shifts at the hospital do people see her exhausted. Or if she has come back from a tough mission or long journey. I don't think she ever tires this easily." This information, paired with what he had seen earlier definitely set him on guard. He walked up to Temari and Sakura and met eyes with his sister who was in a heated conversation with Sakura.

"-but I think Ino has a great idea." Sakura nodded and Temari smiled at her and Gaara, silently noting how well they looked together.

Temari said goodnight to everyone first, taking her and Sakura's food out of the bags Kankuro was carrying. Sakura said her goodnights as well as Temari grabbed onto her arm and basically drug her down the hall to their room exclaiming that they needed to talk and needed their rest. Sakura gave a wave back towards the boys as Temari pulled her around the corner. Kankuro walked past Gaara and pat him on the back.

"Well at least the girls are getting along perfectly." He chuckled as Gaara gave him a blank stare. "At least she isn't completely like Temari." Kankuro clarified, stopping as he unlocked their room door and turned to Gaara and Kaguri. He shook his head as he thought of having two Temari's around and walked into their room with a shudder.

A thought was nagging Gaara. He could tell it was trying to make itself known. He sighed inwardly and sat down on the couch. The thought persisted and he growled at the demon pushing into his mind.

 _"What do you want?"_ Gaara growled as he let Shukaku communicate with him.

 ** _"Ever since that bitch and your mate fought she's been acting strange. That woman could have done something to her in that barrier when they fought. She could have easily done something to her mind. I've done it before. There is more than one way to get into people's heads."_** Gaara thought over this and frowned. He had a point. The demon's presence dissolved and he stood up from the couch and walked over to where Kankuro and Kaguri were playing cards on the small table in the room, eating their food as they did so. Kankuro looked up at him and grinned.

"Come to join our game little brother?" Gaara shook his head and grabbed Kankuro's arm before pulling him over to the other side of the room. "Woah Gaara! What is wrong?" Kankuro attempted to placate Gaara as he promptly let go of his arm and shot him a look. Kaguri watched the scene on high alert until Gaara made it clear that he was not attempting to hurt his brother. Kaguri immediately read the situation as Gaara wanting to speak about something important in private and left the room without another word.

"Kankuro calm down. I need your help. It is about what you said earlier, about Sakura. What did you notice about her, exactly?" Kankuro sighed in relief before scrunching up his brow as he sat back down on the couch, moving out of his brother's space.

"She just seemed a lot more tired to me. I don't know if it's anything big but I know her stamina and that little bit of chakra she used to check over that girl shouldn't have made her that weak and tired. It might be because of that injury she got on the mission but I don't know. When I felt her chakra earlier it seemed strong as ever." Gaara nodded and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger before looking at Kankuro.

"I think that woman did something to her in the attack. Where is Kaguri?" He looked around the room as Kankuro stood and went to the door, opening it and calling Kaguri back inside. As soon as he was inside, Kankuro began to question him.

"Kaguri, in ANBU did you learn about any tactics people use to mess with people's minds long after the person who uses them dies?" Gaara turned to Kaguri whose mask prevented him from reading the man's expressions.

"Well there's the obvious genjutsu but that only works until the person dies. They can always use the people's friends to torment them by making them watch their friends be tortured or killed. The same can be done by using their fears against them. We did hear that Tara woman using those sound attacks against Haruno-san. There are hallucinogens and poisons that can also be injected but the medics would have most likely picked up on that when they healed her." Kankuro nodded and looked to Gaara who seemed to be deep in thought.

"The only way we can find out is if you ask Sakura what happened during the fight." Kankuro finally sighed, looking at Gaara sincerely. He gave Kankuro a glance that told him he was going to do that.

"I'll speak with her while Temari is asleep." He waited, tense as Kankuro handed him his food, reminding him to eat before he and Kaguri resumed their game. The two glanced at Gaara occasionally, watching as he ate some of his food and then stood up and began to pace. Thoughts and scenarios ran through his head as the sand he had sent to the girl's room monitored his sister's activity level. It seemed like ages before his sister finally stopped moving around.

Gaara's pacing stopped abruptly as soon as he felt this happen, gaining the immediate attention of both Kankuro and Kaguri. Without a word of explanation, he left the room heading down the hall to the girl's room. He knocked on the door as softly as he could and hoped that Temari would not hear it.

He heard soft footsteps and heard the door unlock a moment later. He was greeted by a sleepy eyed Sakura, she blinked up at him for a moment before her mind fully registered that he was standing there, looking at her with a serious expression. Turning from him for a only a moment, she shut the door quietly behind her and turned her now alert green eyes back to his face.

"Gaara what are you doing here?! Is something wrong?" She whispered, her words tinged with confusion and concern. Gaara's facial expression did not alter.

"I want to talk to you, privately. I find it hard to do that when Temari is with you every minute. Grab your cloak." Sakura searched his face, finding no sense of alarm in his tone, before giving a small nod.

"Ok." She murmured. She darted back into the room for a moment and returned with her cloak, already having her boots on when she had opened the door. Gaara began walking down the hallway towards a window at the far end. He offered no explanation as he opened it, the cold air sweeping over them both. He motioned for her to crawl through it, which she did, giving him an odd look in the process. Once they were both through, he shut it until it was only a sliver open and swiftly jumped up onto the roof, once more having Sakura follow him without a word.

"So now that we are up here, in the cold, what do you want to talk about?" Sakura questioned curiously, pulling her cloak tighter around her frame as she brushed snow off the roof and sat down on its cold surface. Gaara sat next to her and stared out across the trees.

"Earlier today when we went to the forest where you fought the Sound defector, you said you were alright but you are not. You can't lie to me, something is wrong." Sakura's eyes widened and she swiftly looked away from him, pulling her arms in tighter to her body. He observed her movements and immediately asked his next question. "What happened when you fought that woman?" He looked at her, his eyes both serious and concerned. She glanced at him and then down at her hands.

"I guess I'm not ok. Something has been bugging me since I fought with her." She pulled her knees into her chest and sighed in a puff of cold air that was carried away with the wind. Her emerald eyes were hooded in the dark as she steeled herself for the explanation she was about to try and give him.

"During the fight she used a body of someone. I am used to puppets and human bodies being used in a fight and that wasn't what affected me, not truly." She furrowed her brow and closed her eyes, the memories as vibrant as if they were still happening.

"The eyes… they were exactly like Naruto's eyes. They were the same blue but they were cold and lifeless. I thought, for a moment, that that person was Naruto. That those were Naruto's eyes that were so cold and lifeless. I guess it was because I was thinking about Naruto, but when I hit it with the katana and it disappeared, I still saw those eyes. It didn't bother me in Konoha where I saw Naruto, it made me feel better actually. But when we went back to the site where we fought, I remembered everything. I actually heard her screams and I felt her katana slice me as if it had happened moments ago. I don't know what happened. I think it was some sort of poison she put on the blade that made me remember. Sometime poisons, particularly hallucinogens, are missed in exams; sometimes they remain dormant until something triggers a memory. Then it poisons you for a while until your body gets rid of it or until there is an antidote administered." Gaara had listened to her story and watched as her eyes opened again and she pulled her hands back into her lap, her entire form impossibly scrunched up to shield her against both the memories and the cold.

He was furious at that woman, angry that Sakura was suffering from the fight even now when a woman like that was nowhere near her level. She got lucky, that woman got lucky that he had not been able to get his hands on her. That he had not made her suffer as he crushed the life out of her pathetic body. His fury dulled as he looked back to Sakura who was still not looking at him, her chin tucked firmly into her knees. He sighed, catching her attention as he attempted to keep himself from revealing any traces of anger in his voice as he spoke.

"I didn't know that these things happened. If I had known if I had been able to get to you and stop them…" he trailed off, his jaw clenching as he forced himself to stay calm. "How long do you think the hallucinogen will last and can you tell if that is what it is?" Sakura looked up at him and then sat silently for a moment, keeping him in utter suspense as she ran a thorough exam on her body, noticing a faint trace of a hallucinogen compound in her bloodstream.

It was noticeable to her where it had not been to the medics that healed her as doing a cell scan on your own body was always much easier than performing one on someone else. Tsunade had obviously not been looking intently for a compound such as this or she would have noticed it.

"It seems to be a hallucinogen. From what I can guess, it will take about three days from now until it is fully gone, I'll try and speed up the process now that I know what it is but usually these things have to run their course." She finally answered. Gaara nodded and stood, offering her his hand to stand from the cold ground.

"I am glad it is not something more serious. I will do what I can to help you." Sakura looked at him with a soft expression before squeezing his hand lightly.

"Thank you for talking to me. I feel much better now. Let's go inside, I'm freezing." He gave her a small smile as they both jumped back down from the roof and re-entered through the window. They walked down to Sakura's room in silence, not wanting to wake Temari with any noise. As soon as they reached her door, Sakura turned to open it. She froze with her hand on the handle before whirling around and reaching up to Gaara's face, pulling him in for a short kiss before looking into his eyes and disappearing into her room.

Gaara stood and stared at the wood of the door for a moment, the feeling of her lips still on his as always happened when they kissed. He felt minutely more at ease as he pulled himself away from her door and returned to his own room.

Sakura hung up her cloak and smiled to herself before sliding into bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. The feeling of ease that had began on the roof after she talked to Gaara quickly disappeared the moment she began to fall asleep; she knew then that it was going to be a rough night.

"Sakura, _Sakura!_ Wake up!" Temari was shaking Sakura with a very serious and alarmed expression as Sakura opened her emerald eyes, tears streaming down her face. She looked to Temari, registered whom she was and immediately made a choking sound in the back of her throat. Temari watched her wide eyed as Sakura clutched at Temari's back, the blonde pulling her in for a hug. She was confused and worried as she stroked her pink hair, letting Sakura cry into her shoulder as she wondered what could have possibly scared the kunoichi so badly.

Only moments before she was on her feet, weapons drawn as Sakura's scream had woken her from her sleep with the instinctual jolt learned from years of training. She had performed an immediate sweep of the room only to find herself staring down at Sakura who was thrashing and screaming in her sleep, lashing out at an invisible assailant. She had immediately launched into action, rousing the woman to end up in the position she was currently in. All of this had transpired in a matter of seconds.

She stroked Sakura's back as the kunoichi shook in her arms. "Did you have a nightmare?" Sakura nodded, unable to explain as the visions continued to haunt her. Temari held her closer.

They heard rushed footsteps and a second later, the boys burst into the room, nearly taking the door off its hinges, led by Kankuro with Gaara and Kaguri right behind. At the sight of Temari holding a crying Sakura, Kankuro's eyes widened and he did an immediate scan of the room, checking for any traces of foreign chakra. Kaguri was doing the same, monitoring the hallway as Gaara silently rushed over and looked at Temari with a serious stare, demanding to know what happened.

"She had a nightmare. She was writhing and screaming." Kankuro looked over to the bed as Sakura pulled away from Temari's grasp and took deep breaths, embarrassed at herself as she began to calm down from her state of terror. Gaara silently took her hand in his own, already knowing what had happened.

Kaguri had retreated into the bathroom and gotten a glass of water, handing it to Gaara who held it until Sakura's breathing was calm enough for her to take the glass. She sipped the water slowly as the others watched her in silence until she was calm enough to speak.

"Side effect of the hallucinogen from the fight. It'll go away soon." She had made her voice sound stronger than she looked, frustrated that she had caused so much alarm and trouble.

Kankuro nodded, knowing what she said was true from what Gaara had told them when he returned to the room. He was relieved that that was all it was. Kaguri's shoulders relaxed slightly. They had been suddenly startled awake, not by Sakura's screams, as they were too far away to hear them, but by Gaara's sudden shout and movement the moment he had felt Sakura's chakra spike. Kankuro and Kaguri had followed him out of the room immediately, all senses on high alert as they prepared to defend and fight. The two of them were relieved that it was not, in fact, an attack.

"Are you alright now?" Kaguri questioned. She nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Yes, it just startled me. I am sorry I caused so much alarm. Thank you for the water." He bowed his head slightly in response as Sakura turned to meet Gaara's concerned gaze.

"Are you well enough to travel?" Sakura met his gaze and gave a firm nod.

"It was just a nightmare, really, I'm alright. It seems to affect me when I am not actively fighting against it. We might as well get going now; we only have a little time before we have to meet up with the others." Sakura waved away their concerns with as she stood and looked to Temari who had relaxed and recovered from the unsettling incident as soon as she realized the situation.

"Alright you heard Sakura, go get dressed and ready and we'll meet in the lobby." The boys nodded, Kaguri being the first out of the room as Gaara gave Sakura a long look to which she smiled in response. He followed Kankuro out of the room without a word more, leaving the girls to change.

End of Chapter 38


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Sakura does it again.

Sakura felt Temari's stare on her as she finished brushing her hair. She sighed and turned around to face the blonde. "Temari, I'm fine. It was a nightmare induced by a mild remnant of a hallucinogen I am currently working on flushing out of my system. Besides, I'm not dwelling on it and am rather focused on the fact that we need to get going so we can get May-rin to the hospital as soon as possible. Not to mention the stress, and happiness, in knowing that I am getting married in a week. With everything going on during my waking hours, the time I spend sleeping should be the least of your concerns." She smiled and Temari froze for a moment in her packing.

"Only a week…" She repeated numbly. Sakura nodded and turned around for a moment before hearing a small laugh. "I've wondered what it would be like to have a sister you know, I'm so happy it's going to be you. Well sister-in-law but that's beside the point."

"I'm glad to be getting siblings. Though I'm not looking forwards to Ino's frantic wedding planning I'll inevitably have to face when we get back." She gave Temari a grimace as the other girl shook her head.

She then grinned and nudged Sakura as she walked past her, a thought having popped into her head. "The wedding may be tough but you can't deny you haven't been thinking about your honeymoon." She wiggled her eyebrows and Sakura turned a light red. "Especially since you sometimes talk in your sleep." She laughed as Sakura whipped around to stare at her in disbelief, catching Temari's teasing grin before giving her a mock glare.

"That wasn't very funny." Temari shrugged and held the door open as Sakura pulled on her cloak and tied her hetai-ate in her hair, calming herself down slightly and getting her cheeks down to a manageable pink color.

"At least it only looks like I'm kind of cold." Sakura thought as Temari smirked at her. They walked down the hall to the lobby where the three boys were waiting.

"So what's the plan?" Kankuro asked Gaara.

"Kankuro, Temari, you two can go and get Iori and his wife and help them with anything they need. Kaguri, you can go and ask Kai or Kisho if you can use a few horses and a cart to carry people in. I'm sure they will be fine with it. They are welcome to join us, if they wish. That leaves Sakura and I to help May-rin and her grandmother." Kankuro nodded and Kaguri did as well. "We will carry May-rin to get her to Konoha faster, if Sakura clears her for that kind of travel. We will get to Konoha in one day and you will get there the day after." Temari nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me! Are you sure you'll be fine carrying her alone?" Gaara gave her a stare to which she quickly conceded. "Alright, how about we meet you two at the dango shop? That way May-rin won't have to walk somewhere to meet us." Temari looked over at Sakura who nodded her agreement.

"That is a good idea. We should plan to meet at the dango shop at nine. It is eight now, so that gives us about an hour." Kaguri nodded.

"It will give me plenty of time to talk to Kai and Kisho." Gaara turned to Sakura.

"Time enough for you to check May-rin for travel."

"And time enough for us to carry everything to the shop." Kankuro added as a final touch to the conversation. They all nodded their assent as Sakura led the group outside and into the snow. Kankuro and Temari set off with Kaguri to The Farmers Rest to get Iori and his wife and have them tell Kaguri where Kai and Kisho lived. Gaara and Sakura set off to the dango shop and as soon as the others were out of sight, Gaara took Sakura's hand in his own.

"Are you really alright?" Sakura nodded and leaned into Gaara's side, allowing herself this moment of weakness. She sighed and he looked down at her with a serious expression. "Was it about the fight?" She nodded and his eyes softened a little.

"It was the fight, but it was so much worse than that. It wasn't Naruto's eyes in the body, it was your eyes. When I defeated it another took its place. Every time it was your eyes and then your hair, and before I knew it, I was fighting you. But the worst part was, every time I stabbed the body, I stabbed myself. Every punch I landed on the body hurt me. It was horrible." Gaara pulled her closer, reminding himself that reassuring physical touch was what she needed to heal.

"It'll all be over in two more days, you said so yourself. I know it's a burden, but it will pass." She nodded, knowing he spoke from years of experience, and continued walking hand in hand with him before coming to the dango shop and breaking apart. They walked in and saw May-rin sitting at the table drinking warm tea and eating dango. She smiled when she saw Sakura who returned the gesture.

Hearing the door shut, May-rin's grandmother appeared with a grateful look on her face.

"I really can't thank you enough for doing this for us." She took Sakura's hands in her own and Sakura smiled kindly at her.

"It's no problem at all. I wanted to tell you that I will be taking May-rin ahead of the others. Gaara will come with me. You will be traveling with Iori and his wife along with my comrades and perhaps two men named Kai and Kisho should they decide to come along as well." May-rin looked at Sakura with an odd expression.

"But how will….we travel?" Sakura smiled.

"I'll carry you on my back or Gaara will if you are comfortable with that. Don't worry, it's quite safe and it is much faster than walking. We will get back in a day." May-rin shifted her gaze to Gaara for a moment and looked a bit apprehensive.

"Ok….I'll let you carry me." She shifted her tired eyes to Sakura and gave her a small smile.

"I expect I'll get to Konoha the day after you do. Please make sure May-rin is alright for me until I get there." Her grandmother interjected, gaining Sakura's attention once again.

"You have my word as a medic." Her grandmother gave her an appraising look for a moment before accepting this vow of protection.

"Then I am content to leave her in your care." Sakura smiled and walked over to May-rin before sitting down next to her.

"You will have to be bundled up in blankets to keep you warm. I'll have you hold on around my neck. Are you going to be ok with this?" May-rin nodded her agreement.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled a warm smile in return.

"Of course May-rin." She looked over at Gaara who had been watching her with a slight look of pride from across the room. He was not completely at ease with Sakura carrying the girl but if it was what the girl desired, he would not question it. He moved as Sakura looked over to him and walked over to May-rin's grandmother, helping her carry the bags with May-rin's clothing in them to the door as Sakura ran a checkup on May-rin.

No sooner had he finished this task, than the door opened and in stepped Kaguri with Kai and Kisho. Iori and his wife walked in next followed by Temari and Kankuro. They all smiled at May-rin's grandmother and greeted her warmly. They were all friends in the small village. Sakura explained the plan and they all agreed.

"So Haruno-san, you and the Kazekage are definitely going to go ahead of us." Kaguri questioned cautiously. It was not his place as a low level ANBU to deny the Kazekage but he was not comfortable with letting them travel without an escort.

Sakura, sensing that this is what he was concerned about, looked at May-rin who was bundled in a jacket and cloak with a blanket wrapped around her before nodding. "We have to get her back as soon as we can."

She walked over to May-rin as soon as Kaguri gave her a small bow, acknowledging her choice but not liking it.

Temari helped lift May-rin onto Sakura's back. She was light; she could have carried her even without arms filled with chakra but knew that the girl would not be able to hang on for the duration of the journey without her chakra adhering her to her body. Sakura adjusted her so that there was almost no pressure on the girl's chest and then glanced over her shoulder.

"Are you comfortable May-rin?" The girl nodded and Sakura turned her head back to look at Gaara who nodded to her.

May-rin's grandmother kissed her cheek as they all walked out into the snow. Kai had brought a wagon with two horses pulling it and plenty of room for the suitcases as well as people. They helped Iori's wife and May-rin's grandmother into the wagon before Iori, Kai and Kisho climbed onto the front to steer the horses. Kankuro, Temari, and Kaguri walked alongside the wagon, acting as escorts for the small envoy.

They walked out of town to the start of the forest path before Gaara and Sakura called their goodbyes and jumped into the trees. The others watched them go, the civilians with a look of wonder, the shinobi with a silent will for them to have an uneventful journey.

May-rin held on tightly to Sakura as she nimbly darted across the branches towards Konoha. If she had been able to see the girl's face, she would have seen a look of utter amazement cross her features. Most civilians could only dream to run with the shinobi in the trees and here she was, soaring above the ground.

Sakura evened her jumps with chakra, taking care to cushion her landings. She gave a small smile as May-rin's arms relaxed a little after she got accustomed to the pace Sakura had set.

Gaara glanced at Sakura after a few minutes of traveling and saw her emerald eyes flicker towards him. He even thought he caught a small smile on her pink lips before she pushed off a branch and got a step ahead of him. He was scanning the surrounding area as they traveled for any chakra signatures. Anyone attacking them would be incredibly stupid, seeing how deep they were into the Land of Fire. Most rogues were not that brave.

They were quiet as they ran through the trees, stopping after three hours to let May-rin eat something and get a quick drink before moving on. Sakura and Gaara were keeping their distance from each other but every once in a while, Gaara caught Sakura looking at him with a small smile on one side of her lips.

She quickly turned her head from him when he did so, focusing on the trees in front of her and the mission at hand.

After another four hours of running, Sakura felt May-rin's grip loosen and quietly asked Gaara to look at the girl to make sure she was alright. She hadn't felt any fluctuations in the girls vitals other than a slowing of pulse and steadier, less shuttering breathing.

"She fell asleep." He stated calmly and Sakura nodded.

"We should be in Konoha in about two hours." She shifted May-rin gently on her back and felt her labored breathing against her spine even through the layers Mar-rin was wrapped in. She sighed and Gaara looked over at her with his dark rimmed eyes.

"What is it Sakura?" He asked with a tone of concern. She looked over at him and shook her head.

"We're getting married soon." His stared at her with a hint of confusion and Sakura gave him an amused smile in return. "It's just hard to believe that I am getting married. That was not a sigh of regret, just a realization I suppose. I can't seem to wrap my head around it." Immediately his expression softened.

"You say this as if you think I have been able to wrap my head around that fact." His tone was light and for this she smiled, wondering for what felt like the millionth time at just how much he had changed. They were silent for a moment before Sakura spoke up.

"I can't believe I let Ino and the girls plan our whole wedding." She practically groaned this statement out.

"Well at least we didn't have to plan it." He stated this in his usual calm voice as Sakura silently agreed with him.

The rest of the journey passed in relative silence, two hours later Sakura jumped down onto the path into Konoha and May-rin stirred on Sakura's back, blinking and looking up.

"Hey May-rin, are you doing alright?" Sakura questioned as she felt the girl moving behind her. May-rin shifted her head slightly as her eyes took in the gate of Konoha they were currently approaching.

"Is this Konoha?" She asked quietly her voice filled with awe. Sakura nodded, a sense of pride filling her at the girl's tone of wonder as she walked through the familiar gates.

Kotetsu and Izumo were sitting, as usual, in the guard booth by the gates. Kotetsu was sleeping and Izumo was reading a newspaper. Izumo looked up as he felt chakra signatures he recognized and saw Sakura walk through the gates carrying May-rin. His eyes widened and he elbowed Kotetsu who was startled for a moment before noticing pink hair and a Konoha traveling cloak.

"Sakura-san. Glad you're back." He stood up and started to wave when he noticed the girl on her back. Gaara walked in the gates behind Sakura and looked over at Kotetsu and Izumo with his usual blank look. "Kazekage-sama." He stated, bowing respectfully. His gaze soon turned to May-rin however, his eyebrows knitting together as Sakura quickly clarified.

"She's just here to receive a medical procedure for her lungs. Kotetsu, Izumo, have someone please alert me when the ANBU operative arrives back with the Kazekage's siblings. He should be with a group of about five more people. I should be at the hospital." They nodded and Sakura and Gaara began to walk away.

Sakura shook her head as Kotetsu and Izumo watched her leave and hurried up the street towards the hospital.

On her back May-rin was looking around Konoha and was in awe at everything she saw. People were staring a bit but they were only doing so because the Kazekage and their top medic were involved. The people of Konoha were all used to seeing shinobi carrying wounded people through Konoha towards the hospital. It was simply part of living in a hidden village as opposed to a civilian one.

Sakura turned a corner and walked up the path towards Konoha hospital. She opened the doors and walked in, right up to the main desk. May-rin peered around at the hospital with wide eyes from her layers of cloth.

Gaara followed Sakura and stood behind her as she talked to the secretary. A nurse brought in a gurney and Sakura told May-rin to let go of her, bending down slightly so that the girl could slide off her back. She then helped May-rin up onto the stretcher with gentle movements. As soon as she was settled on the stretcher, her blankets still wrapped around his like a mummy, she turned and looked at Sakura with wide eyes and an expression Sakura had seen quite often. She reached out and squeezed the girl's hand softly to reassure her before giving commands to the nurse.

"Put her in a prep-surgery room. Make sure it is a comfortably warm temperature. Give her an IV drip and hook her up to a heart monitor. I want someone to come and get me if anything unusual happens. I will go and talk to Tsunade-sama." The nurse nodded and walked away holding May-rin's hand and talking to her calmly as another nurse pushed the gurney.

Gaara looked down at Sakura who was obviously a bit tired from the journey. She was also a little upset that she was feeling tired, both emotions mixing and forming a crease between her brows. As soon as they were outside, Gaara spoke up.

"You shouldn't have carried her that whole way. You should have let me carry her for a little while at least." She looked at him and shook her head.

"It was my job and I'm fine, just a little tired. I can handle carrying someone three times her size for more than a day without any sleep. I'm stronger than I look. Filtering my system of that poison is just sapping my strength."

"I never doubt your strength Sakura. I just want you to know you can rely on me as well. My strength is yours now." Sakura gave him a sideways glance and then shook her head with a smile.

"I know that. We're teammates now; my strength is yours as well." She reached out for his arm, giving it a small squeeze. She let go only to have him pull her to his side. She gave him a look, raising her eyebrow with amusement and intrigue.

"Would you like me to carry you?" His question was simple enough, but the way he said it made Sakura chuckle.

"I have a feeling even if I said no; I would be unable to dissuade you." Gaara's look said it all.

"You are right." He scooped her into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He jumped onto the nearest roof and immediately began moving towards the Hokage tower.

Sakura rolled her emerald eyes but focused on his intoxicating scent. He smelled like sun and sand mixed with a deep undertone that was uniquely him. She liked it; to her it smelled like a warm summer day. She let him carry her cradled to his chest as he ran, jumping down onto the Hokage tower steps. He put her down and let his hand linger on her arm before following her into the Hokage tower.

Shizune looked up at them and nodded as Sakura walked into Tsunade's office.

"I didn't expect you back so soon. Did something happen?" Tsunade asked, looking up at them with a hard expression. Sakura nodded.

"We met a girl named May-rin. She had issues breathing and even the act of walking around was hard for her. I could tell she needed treatment so I brought her to the hospital. She has some sort of lump in her left lung. Her grandmother and the rest of our party should be here tomorrow. I need your opinion on what we should do with May-rin. She's in a prep-surgery room at the hospital right now." Tsunade nodded and stood up.

"Put her on our free treatment program. She is from the smaller villages and can't afford treatment am I correct?" Sakura nodded and Tsunade continued. "I'll examine her. We can get her into surgery by tomorrow." Sakura nodded and followed Tsunade out the door. "Shizune, I need a patient sheet to be filled out when we get to the hospital. Make sure it has the free treatment program sheet attached." Shizune nodded and got the required sheets in a flash before following Tsunade out the door.

They walked to the hospital and into the lobby following Tsunade. Tsunade walked up to the front desk and asked where May-rin's room was. The receptionist told her as Sakura and Tsunade walked down the hall with a swift pace followed by Gaara and Shizune. Shizune looked over at Gaara and smiled.

"They are so much alike." She whispered, watching the two in front of her with a fond smile as they conversed about treatment options until they came to May-rin's room. They opened the door and Tsunade looked over at the startled girl sitting up in the bed.

"Hello May-rin. I'm Tsunade. Sakura said you are having trouble breathing correct?" May-rin nodded and looked over at Sakura who smiled at her making her relax a little. A familiar face always made treatment less scary.

"I haven't been…feeling that well…for a while." May-rin gasped out. Tsunade furrowed her brow a little.

"Well I'll have a look at you." She turned to Gaara and Shizune and gave them both a look that could curdle milk. "While you two are standing over there not doing anything you might as well be doing some work." Tsunade glanced over at Gaara who stiffened at the tone of command. Senior Kage or no, he was still the Kazekage. Tsunade noticed the stiffness that appeared in his stance as she turned to her assistant and took a different approach.

"Shizune can you and the dear Kazekage please go and help out around the hospital for a while? It would be a good learning experience; you can chalk it up to inter-political relations or something. Perhaps help in the cafeteria, distributing food to the patients and such. Sakura and I are going to examine May-rin." Shizune nodded and Gaara looked at Sakura, who nodded at him to go, before following Shizune out of the room. Tsunade and Sakura started the examination as Gaara and Shizune walked down the hall.

"So Kazekage-sama, would you like to help me in the cafeteria? We can help to bring the patients their dinners." Gaara gave her a look and then gave in, accepting the situation grudgingly.

"Alright, well the kitchen is over this way." Shizune turned a corner and walked down the hall to two large doors that she opened leading into the hospital kitchen. "Here, we'll serve the children they are often easier to deal with. Today they get a bowl of soup and vegetables on the side along with some chicken and a cup of tea." Gaara followed Shizune over to where some staff were dishing out the soup, they faltered momentarily upon noticing Gaara but then swiftly continued, methodically avoiding his gaze. "Right now we have about eleven children that come down to the cafeteria for their meals. Only two are on special diets. Here you can take this cart and I'll take that one." Shizune said pointing to the two carts with the trays on top and the food underneath in rows by type. Gaara's cart held the soup and chicken while Shizune's cart had the tea and vegetables. Gaara took hold of the cart handle and looked at Shizune for guidance.

"Are all of the children long-term patients?" Gaara asked and Shizune shook her head.

"No, only nine of them are long-term. The others are only here for a few days or just overnight. The long-term patients play in the children's ward when they aren't being treated, if they are healthy enough. The others are kept in their own rooms for most of the time, as healing them is more of a priority. We still bring the ones in their rooms dinner if they can't come down to the cafeteria." Gaara nodded and followed her through two blue doors into the cafeteria full of patients and their families. They all smiled when they saw Shizune and gave respectful nods to Gaara.

Some called their hellos to Shizune as she walked past and she waved and smiled at them in return. "Shizune-san!" A little boy called, running up to her happily. He had his arm in a splint and a bandage over his left eye. Shizune smiled and ruffled his hair gently.

"Hello Kain, would you like to help me serve the tea to the other children?" Kain nodded eagerly. Shizune handed him a cup and poured the tea in it. He then brought it over to a table where a little girl in a wheelchair was sitting. Gaara followed Shizune over to the long tables in the front of the room and started placing the bowls of soup and chicken on the tables.

Shizune was doing the same with the vegetables and was pouring the tea into the cups. Other nurses were already serving the families of the patients and the older patients. Kain was carrying more cups of tea to the other children and Gaara looked over at Shizune who was looking at the boy with a sense of amused pride.

"That boy, what did he do to his arm and eye?" Shizune leaned against the wall behind the counter and looked over at Gaara.

"He was training by himself. Trying to walk up trees using chakra as a control exercise. He lost control and fell, a common problem amongst the academy students. He got stitches above his eye. He also fractured his arm. He helps out at the hospital sometimes in the children's ward, something that's rare to see in academy level students. He wants to become a medic here at Konoha hospital, most academy kids are focused on becoming shinobi as opposed to medics. That part usually appears later on when their abilities become more honed. But in some cases, it shows up pretty early." Gaara nodded and continued to follow Shizune as she handed out the bowls of vegetables to the children around the room. Once they finished, he followed Shizune out of the cafeteria. "Well we can go back to Sakura and Tsunade now. They should be done their examination." Gaara nodded and followed Shizune out of the cafeteria and back to May-rin's room. Sakura was walking out of the room the moment Gaara and Shizune approached her.

She greeted them both with a smile as she placed her hands on her hips and gave Gaara a sly grin.

"So how was helping in the cafeteria?" He regarded her calmly.

"It was alright." She laughed and let Gaara and Shizune into the room. May-rin looked at them as they entered and seemed to be in better spirits now that she was being taken care of.

"So May-rin, you are all set for surgery to remove that obtrusion in your lung. We can do it tonight or tomorrow, it's your choice. It might be better to do it tonight so that you can recover faster. You will only have to be in the hospital for maybe two days afterwards." May-rin looked at Sakura who nodded encouragingly.

"I wanted to…wait for my…grandmother…but I think I'll…do it tonight. So I'll heal…faster." She gave a brave nod before coughing. Sakura nodded and called in another nurse that was walking past.

"Please get operation room three ready for a lung surgery." The nurse nodded and hurried off to fulfill the pink haired medic's request. May-rin looked at Tsunade who noticed worry in the girl's eyes.

"It'll be over before you know it and you won't feel a thing." She nodded and Tsunade pulled her white lab coat on that Shizune had just handed her. Sakura was already wearing hers and put on her surgical mask, talking to May-rin in a reassuring tone.

Tsunade pulled on her surgical mask as two nurses came into the room and helped May-rin up onto a gurney before wheeling her out of the room. Tsunade, Sakura and Shizune followed them. Gaara trailed behind them and sat in a chair outside of the operating room when they went in. Sakura gave him an apologetic glance before shutting the door.

Gaara leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest during the inevitably long surgery. He fell into a much needed meditation and didn't notice the minutes ticking by. He was only alerted to the passage of time by the occasional open and close of doors or the murmurs of people passing by. He sighed slightly and couldn't help but wondering how the other group was faring.

"Kankuro do you even know anything about a wedding?" Temari huffed, frustrated at him for once again asking about the subject. He defensively scowled at her.

"Yes I know about weddings. I'm supposed to stand behind the groom. It's not that hard." Temari rolled her eyes.

"What is the theme for their wedding?" Iori's wife asked Temari, having been listening to the sibling's conversation.

"They are going to have a wedding based around the night he proposed to her. It's essentially based around snow. Her dress is gorgeous and her friends are all taking care of the decorating. I'm really excited about it actually." Iori's wife smiled and asked her about her bridesmaid dress. "Well it's pale blue with spaghetti straps with some ruffles on the front. We have blue shawls as well." The women continued to talk about the wedding while Kankuro went up front to talk to the men.

"We can travel all night if you want. We'll all take turns leading the horses. That way we'll be in Konoha by early tomorrow morning." Kankuro said to Kai. He nodded.

"I'll take the first shift then Kisho, Iori you can be next, then Kankuro." They all nodded.

Kankuro jumped up onto the top of the wagon. Luckily it was a hard topped wagon that looked more like a carriage. The inside had no seats but was large enough for all three women to lie down in it comfortably.

Temari was talking quietly with Iori's wife while May-rin's grandmother slept. They had all eaten and were now traveling through the dark. Kankuro drifted off to sleep on top of the rambling wagon with his chakra circulating through his body to keep him warm. He was used to having to do this on missions in Suna's desert climate. He was woken up later for his shift and grudgingly slid down to the driver's seat. It was only around one in the morning.

Sakura walked out of the operating room completely exhausted. She was happy though because the surgery was a success and May-rin was completely all right and would recover very quickly. It had been a long ordeal, as most extensive removal surgeries were, but there had been no complications. The nurses and Shizune brought May-rin out of the operating room and down to a recovery room.

Tsunade walked out looking much less tired than Sakura and immediately told Sakura to go home and get some rest and that they would keep an eye on May-rin all night. She nodded and watched Tsunade walk away, the latter mumbling something about needing a drink. With a sigh she turned just as Gaara noticed her standing across the hall. He stood up and walked over to her as she stumbled slightly and gave him a tired smile. Gaara caught her and Shizune shot her a sympathetic look as she passed by, heading to a storeroom to pick up more blankets. She looked at Gaara and smiled.

"She used up a lot of chakra today between getting that girl here and then taking on that surgery. She told us about the hallucinogen as well. Between that and the fact that the surgery took a lot of control and concentration, I'd say she just needs rest." He nodded and picked her up in his arms as she promptly closed her eyes.

He walked down the hall and out of the hospital carrying her bridal style for the second time that day. She didn't stir as he jumped across the rooftops to her house. It was a little unnerving to see her so tired but he knew it would not be the last time he would see her in such a state. He was careful not to jostle her too much as he unlocking the door and walked inside.

He brought her down the hall to her room and pulled back the covers before laying her on the bed. Gaara took off her shoes and put them near the end of the bed before taking off the medical pouch around her waist and setting it on her dresser. He looked down at her sleeping figure and decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay with her. He climbed into the other side of the bed, pulling her close and then pulling the covers over them both.

Watching her sleep made him feel calm and silently hope that Kankuro and Temari didn't get back early the next day, not that he suspected they would mind where he slept. He watched her steady breathing lull him into a sleep that he had not been able to find for quite a while. He felt like he had slept for a lifetime when the alarm clock jarred him out of his sleep. With a sigh he reached over and turned it off. Sakura had barely stirred at the noise, lying rather still in her place curled up against him. With a small smile he brushed some hair out of her face, causing her to stir and blink open her emerald eyes. She gave him a lazy smile and a soft sigh.

"I need to get going. May-rin will need me, not to mention the fact that Kankuro and Temari should be arriving in Konoha in about an hour or so." Gaara nodded and she leaned in for a quick kiss before sliding out of bed and grabbing a fresh pair of clothes before leaving the room. Gaara walked out of her room and down the hall to his own room, putting on a clean outfit for the day.

He walked back down the hall and saw Sakura grabbing a granola bar from the cupboard in the kitchen and a soldier pill that she crunched quickly followed by the granola bar. He knew that she was aware the soldier pills were not a substitute for a good breakfast but assumed that she was simply in a hurry and it wouldn't hurt her in the long run. Gaara caught the granola bar that she threw at him. He began eating his granola bar before following her to the door where she grabbed her shoes and slid them on before grabbing her jacket and walking out into the snow.

Kankuro and Temari walked through the gates of Konoha first, nodding to Kotetsu and Izumo. Izumo stood up and called Kankuro over. "Kankuro-san, Sakura said that she and the Kazekage would be at the hospital with the girl they brought in last night." Kankuro nodded and relayed the information to Temari before following Izumo to take Iori, Kai, and Kisho to where they could stable the horses and place their wagon.

Iori's wife and May-rin's grandmother followed Temari to the hospital. The receptionist pointed them to May-rin's room and they left with a thank you to her. Temari found the room after a bit of searching. They opened the door and walked over to where May-rin was sitting up in bed eating breakfast carefully. Her eyes lit up and she dropped her spoon as her grandmother rushed over and took her hand in her own.

"Grandma, Sakura-san helped me. I'm going to be fine she said. The surgery worked." She whispered with a smile as her grandmother cried tears of joy.

"I'm so happy. I can't lose you like I lost your mother. I promised her." May-rin nodded, crying a little herself.

"I know Grandma, I'm ok." Iori's wife looked on with a smile as Temari ushered her out of the room, both deciding it would be best to let her grandmother visit with her for a while.

Iori's wife and Temari walked out into the hallway just in time to see a flash of pink rush around the corner. Temari gave Iori's wife a look and they both followed quickly, knowing it was Sakura. They saw the pink again as she turned down a hallway and disappeared through a set of double doors. Temari looked up at the sign above the doors and shook her head. The bright red letters spelling "Birth and Delivery: Maternity Ward" were certainly hard to miss.

"Well this might take a while." She looked at Iori's wife who laughed and shook her head.

"From the way she was moving, I don't think it will take very long." Temari smiled as they walked through the double doors and into the waiting room adjacent to the room Sakura had disappeared into. Temari instantly wondered who it was and if it could have been that woman Sakura had saved before.

"I love babies." Iori's wife sighed, breaking Temari out of her thoughts. "I love their soft skin and adorable little laughs. The way they coo and wiggle around when you hold them. They are all so cute! The first time you get to hold them is so magical. You think to yourself 'wow this is a new life.' It's a wonderful feeling." Temari smiled.

"You had children?" She asked and Iori's wife nodded.

"One boy. He left home when he was thirteen to become a shinobi. He didn't go to Konoha like he said though. He left and went somewhere else. I don't know why he did what he did, but he said he wasn't cut out for being a Konoha shinobi. The last time I heard from him, he said he had been trained by former shinobi and was a private guard for some princess in Lightning Country. I haven't heard from him in a while. I do miss him sometimes." Temari continued talking to her about what it was like having children. In the room near them Sakura was running a check up on a woman lying in bed.

"Well Momo, you are dilated but shouldn't go into full labor for a while longer. The baby decided it wanted to come early after all huh? Just keep going with the contractions and squeeze this stress ball whenever they come. Don't worry; I'm not going to leave." Momo looked at her with an expression of relief and happiness mixed with mild discomfort.

"I just wish Kyo could be here." She panted, looking a bit sad. Sakura sat next to her and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"Is Kyo your husband?" Momo nodded and closed her eyes as a contraction went through her.

"He works as a negotiator for the elders of our village and Suna. He's there right now."  
Sakura nodded, thinking for a moment that it was a rather strange coincidence that they both had a link to Suna, and checked Momo again after yet another contraction shook her. She winced heavily in pain and gasped. Sakura smiled at her and stroked her arm again. She soothed her for a few more minutes until the contractions began to come quicker. Sakura stood up and checked Momo's vitals again, smiling at her gently.

"Ok Momo, you're almost ready. I'm going to call for another few nurses." Momo nodded, holding onto her stomach. Sakura called for three nurses and they were in the room quickly as Momo was hit with another painful contraction. She was panting and the contractions were now only a few moments apart. "Momo when I tell you to push I'm going to have you do it ok?" She nodded as Sakura told the nurses to prep for birth. One held up her legs as the others prepped things for cleaning the baby. "Ok Momo push now, lightly, not too hard." Momo cried out in pain before pushing and panting for breath. "That was great Momo I'm going to have you do it again with the next contraction. Keep breathing like you are, short little pants." She nodded and winced in pain.

Temari heard a cry of pain from the room and looked over at Iori's wife who simply smiled. "It's worth the pain, trust me. There are few things in this world is better than having a child to care for, or at least, that's what I think." Temari smiled as she heard Sakura's calm voice soothing the woman over another cry.

"Sakura would make a great mother." Temari said offhand. Iori's wife smiled. "But that will come later if she chooses, the council will certainly push for a child but I don't know about Gaara. I just can't imagine it." Iori's wife watched as Temari's brow furrowed and then chuckled.

"Sometimes you can't help it." Temari grinned and laughed as Iori's wife smiled before hearing another cry of pain this time a bit longer and definitely louder. "You know, I've always wanted a daughter of my own."

"A-Ahhh!" Momo cried out, tearing up as she panted and ground her teeth together. A nurse was stroking her arm as Sakura talked to her soothingly.

"Momo that was great! This shouldn't take long; I'll have you push again once you've caught your breath. I know you've been here for a long time and I know it's tough, but it's alright, it'll be over soon. I'm going to have you push now. Can you do that for me?" Momo nodded and pushed hard, screaming and letting a few tears fall from her face. She was sweating immensely and had a death grip on the hand of the nurse dabbing her head with a damp towel.

Sakura could feel the baby's head was close and looked up at Momo who had fallen back onto the bed panting heavily and crying a little. "Momo, Momo listen to me, you're almost there all I need is a few more big pushes and then it'll be over." Momo nodded weakly. "Ok one, two, three, push!" Sakura called as Momo pushed with all her strength, screaming in pain as tears streamed down her face. The head crowned as Sakura encouraged her to push again, Momo doing so with all her strength as the shoulders came through.

A moment later and a baby's shrill cry filled the room as Momo fell back onto the bed, sweaty, gasping and exhausted, but smiling. "It's a girl." Sakura held the child carefully as a nurse cut her umbilical cord. Sakura handed the girl to a nurse who whisked her away to be cleaned as Sakura delivered Momo's afterbirth and directed a nurse to help clean her up.

"C-can I s-see her?" Momo panted, turning her head to where the baby girl lay crying on the table, being wrapped in a blanket by a nurse. Sakura smiled and nodded, pulling off her gloves and replacing them with new ones before handing her the baby girl. Sakura watched as the baby's sweet face scrunched up slightly upon being moved and the small tuft of brown hair on her head stuck up from under the blanket. Sakura handed her to Momo, smiling as she held her close. The baby opened her eyes and blinked, making sweet little crying noises as Momo gazed down at her with an expression of pure love and joy. "Ari, My little Ari." She whispered, tracing her face gently with her hand. Ari blinked her eyes and gazed up at Momo with soft brown eyes that looked just like her mother's.

"She's beautiful Momo, you did well. We'll need to get her weighed and check her vitals. We'll bring her right back to you. Rest for now." Momo nodded and let the nurse take Ari as Sakura turned to leave. Momo reached out a hand and grabbed Sakura's coat, making her turn around.

"Thank you. You saved us once and then helped me bring her into the world." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"It was my pleasure. Get some rest Momo, you did great." She left the room and let the nurses clean up and check over Ari Gato. Sakura walked out into the hallway feeling strangely at peace and satisfied with herself. She looked up at the sound of clapping and saw Temari and Iori's wife smiling at her from across the hall.

"Well now, that sounded like fun. How's the baby in there?" Temari asked, motioning to Momo's room.

"She's doing great. The mother was that woman Momo that I helped after the incident in the outer village. She's sleeping now. I do feel bad for her though. Her husband couldn't be here. He's in Suna." Iori's wife's face fell a little.

"Oh that must have been so hard for her."

"Yes I think it was. Well, I think she'll feel much better soon. I sent Gaara to go send a letter to her husband as soon as I found out she was admitted to the hospital. He should be here in a few days. It's all taken care of. Aside from that, I need to get cleaned up and get home." Sakura smiled while Temari clapped her on the shoulder, surprising her slightly.

"You are one of the kindest people I know." Sakura smiled as Iori's wife nodded.

"Well, if I would have known all I had to do was deliver a baby to earn your praise, I would have done so sooner!" She grinned teasingly at Temari who laughed in return.

"You gained my respect and praise a long time ago Sakura; you just haven't heard it very often." Sakura rolled her eyes as Iori's wife smiled at them both.

"Well, seeing as you two are heading out, I'm going to go visit with May-rin and her grandmother. We told Kai and Kisho to come here when they were done seeing to where we are going to be staying. I'll tell Kankuro-san you two went home." Sakura nodded and waved to her as she walked down the hall towards the section of the hospital where May-rin's room was located.

Sakura went over to the staff room and threw her white coat into the washing bin they had in the room. She then went over to one of the large sinks in the room and began scrubbing her arms all the way to her elbows. Temari leaned against the doorway and laughed at her thoroughness.

"Even though you were wearing gloves, you still scrub your arms like you weren't wearing them." Sakura dried her arms and walked over to Temari with a shake of her head.

"Yeah well aside from the fact that it is protocol, I'm just being cautious. You never know what you can pick up from a hospital, even when wearing gloves." Temari looked at her hands with slight apprehension as Sakura laughed. "You're fine Temari, come on let's get back before someone wants me to do something else." She shook her head as they left the room and turned down the hall. Immediately Temari noticed Sakura's pace slowing the closer they got the the exit.

"Is there a reason why you are dragging your feet?" She asked, one eyebrow raised quizzically at the woman next to her. Sakura looked over at her with a slight look of surprise before promptly sighing.

"I suppose it has something to do with that fact that Shishou says today was my last day here. I'm actually a bit sad. I've spent most of my time as a medic within the walls of this hospital, it will be strange to leave." She looked a bit lost for a moment as Temari nodded, understanding what she was feeling.

"I know it's tough but you just need to look forwards to the fact that you'll be running Suna's hospital where people really do need your help. Konoha is stable; they have enough help as it is. Isn't it a medic's job to help those who need it the most as a top priority?" Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, that's true and yes, Suna is top priority now. It is just difficult to leave somewhere where you have worked so hard for so long." Temari nodded and followed her into the lobby where all the available nurses and doctors stood clapping when they saw Sakura. Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as she whipped around to look at Temari who held up her hands in innocence. "What's all this?"

"It wasn't me if that's what you're thinking." She motioned to behind Sakura, watching as the pink haired woman turned back to the smiling and clapping staff of the hospital.

Gaara stepped through the hospital doors and looked a little taken aback at the slew of nurses and doctors clapping. He was slightly confused until he noticed a very shocked looking Sakura standing near the hallway. He chuckled and walked over to her, people parting as he passed through unhindered. "I assume this was something you were not aware of." He whispered as Sakura shook her head.

"I had no idea." She smiled gratefully at the group assembled as the doctor she was standing closest to walked up to her and handed her a plaque with a card attached to it.

"We heard you were leaving us so we put a little something together for you." Sakura accepted it as the doctor stepped back. She opened the card, clearing her throat as the room quieted down.

"To Konoha's own pink haired medic; we'll miss you Sakura-san! Good luck in Suna and congratulations on your new position! Your friends and colleagues at Konoha Hospital." She smiled at them all and then looked at the plaque. "Konoha Hospital is proud to give this award of honor to Sakura Haruno for bravery, determination, and the best care given in the hospital and on missions from one of the most skilled medics Konoha has ever seen." Sakura looked out at the group of smiling faces before her and smiled widely. "Thank you all, I couldn't have asked for a better hospital staff. I know I've yelled at probably all of you, and that we have all worked through the night together in less than desirable conditions. I am proud to say that I have seen nearly all of you up to your arms helping me with something that we both couldn't have handled alone and for this, I thank you. You are all amazing people to work with and I wish you the best of luck here in Konoha." The group began clapping again, some moving forwards to exchange hugs as others gave her a quick goodbye and went back to their duties.

Eventually, after many goodbyes, Sakura, Gaara, and Temari made their way out of the hospital with the plaque clutched tightly in Sakura's hands.

"You made a great impact on them." Temari stated as soon as they were outside. Gaara nodded his agreement as Sakura merely smiled.

"They've been there with me through a lot. True, some of them made me want to tear my hair out, but that's normal when working in such a place. I only hope I make somewhat of an impact in Suna as well." Temari laughed as Gaara gave her a sideways glance.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you will turn their world upside down." Temari chuckled as Sakura smiled broadly just as familiar voices called out their names.

End of Chapter 39


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You say goodbye, I say hello.

"Sakura! Gaara!" Ino and Tenten came barreling down the street towards them, barely slowing down as they approached.

"What are you guys doing?" Sakura asked as Ino and Tenten caught up to them.

"No time to talk Forehead, we need your opinion on this!" Ino grabbed her arm and towed her down the street as Sakura protested rather profusely. Temari and Tenten followed her just as quickly, shaking their heads at Sakura's increasingly agitated looks and Ino's enthusiasm.

Gaara was a bit confused about the sudden need for Sakura at that exact moment, but followed after them regardless. Ino dragged Sakura up the steps of a shop and through the door not listening to the medic's protests and threats. Tenten and Temari walked in behind them with Gaara right behind them.

"Ino would you at least tell me what you are doing?!" Sakura huffed, looking at the blonde who was talking to the man at the counter in rapid and hushed tones. Gaara looked around, saw rows of music records along the walls, and assumed it was a music shop. The man looked at Sakura and Gaara and promptly bowed, surprising the group now gathered in the store.

"Kazekage-sama! Sakura-sama! What a pleasure to have you in my store! Please let me help you out." Sakura turned to Ino and put her hands on her hips.

"Ok Ino, what's this all about?" Ino giggled happily and looked at them.

"You need music for your wedding. Especially your first dance as a married couple! You both decided to up and leave six days before your wedding! I mean really Forehead; you're making my life impossible." Sakura looked at Gaara who gave her a questioning look at Ino's melodramatic exclamation.

"So what songs do you two have in mind?" The man spoke up just as Sakura looked ready to tear into Ino.

Gaara looked at the shelves and felt a bit lost. He wasn't ever a huge fan of music and only really knew a few songs from time he had been forced to attend functions as Kazekage. Amongst the sea of unfamiliar names and melodies he had never heard, he noticed a familiar title. He picked it up and handed it to the man without a word. The man looked at the selection and immediately put it in the player behind the counter. A slow song filled the air as Temari looked at her brother in surprise.

"Perfect choice." The man praised as Sakura smiled.

"I know this song. I've always liked it." Ino clapped her hands together and beamed as the man stopped the music.

"Great we'll get it! That can be your couples dance song! I already have the rest picked out." Sakura's eyebrows shot up as she looked at the blonde.

"Really?" Ino nodded as she quickly conversed with the man, paying for the tape before maneuvering the group out of the shop.

Ino called to Gaara over her shoulder, as he was the last out of the shop, saying they were stealing Sakura away for a while. He looked on as Sakura was ushered away by Tenten and Ino and made to go after them when Temari stopped beside him and smiled. "I'll keep an eye on her." He watched silently as his sister rushed off to catch the girls.

"Gaara!" Gaara turned recognizing the voice to belong to Kiba who had just come running around the corner with Akamaru at his side, both with happy looks on their faces. They stopped directly in front of the rather surprised Kazekage who couldn't imagine what they wanted from him. "The ninken's mate had her pups! Come on!" Kiba called, giving no other explanation as he began walking away again, Gaara following as he had asked to see the pups.

They were part of the way to the Inuzuka compound when Kiba decided to make conversation. "So how's Sakura doing? We haven't seen her lately. I know you guys were away, but nobody's seen her since you guys got back or even before you left." Gaara looked at him and then back to the path.

"She's fine. She hasn't been out of the hospital for more than one night as she had to perform a surgery on a girl we brought back with us. Today was her last day working at the hospital so she will be around more often; if the wedding planning committee lets her go." Kiba chuckled.

"They are merciless when together in a group. Speaking of females, I seem to recall you having a lot of fans since you became Kazekage." He grinned as Gaara shook his head.

"I can't understand how or why that happened. One moment I was the hated Jinchuuriki, the next I'm the Kazekage and every lord and councilman in the nations wants his daughter to marry me." Kiba snorted and laughed as Gaara set his jaw slightly. "I'm glad I met Sakura." Kiba nodded.

"Yeah I think it's great you guys are together. It was a shock for us, unexpected as hell, but we're all happy for you. It's been tough for her living alone I think. Especially since Tsunade rarely sent her on missions and kept her here at the hospital most of the time. She pretended to be ok with it but anyone could see she wanted to get out every occasionally. I'm glad you snatched her up instead of someone else. She deserves a good life for all the good that she's done." He gave Gaara what could only be described as an honest gaze. Gaara was taken back by his words and could only nod his thanks. Kiba seemed to understand and merely smiled, having him follow him through the gates to his compound.

Hana was sitting on the porch when they arrived. She stood and let Gaara inside where one of her ninken was lying next to his mate and her six pups.

"Did she have them this morning?" Kiba nodded.

"Yeah and I heard that that lady Sakura saved a while back had her baby this morning too, one of the nurses was going on about it when I passed by the hospital earlier. It looks like it's a great day for little ones." Gaara nodded. The pups were tiny little balls of fur, squeaking and suckling. It was hard for Gaara to imagine that such tiny things could become the large ninken he had seen fighting.

Kiba brought him back outside after he saw the pups, explaining that the ninken get a bit restless when people other than other Inuzuka are around the pups for too long, and they walked out into the street where Kankuro was walking past on his way up to Sakura's road. He saw them and immediately walked over.

"Hey Kiba…and Gaara, hey wait, where's Sakura?" He looked around his brother, noticing the apparent lack of pink haired medic that had become a regular sight when his brother was around.

"She and Temari were kidnapped by Ino and Tenten." Gaara explained calmly. Kankuro raised an eyebrow but then shrugged.

"Explains why Temari isn't here bugging us." Kiba laughed.

"They do get to be a little bit much but they're all excited for the wedding so they're extra worked up. It's in six days right?" Kiba asked and Gaara nodded.

"Yes and then we go to Suna right away to have the official wedding." Kiba shook his head and sighed.

"That's going to be weird to have two weddings, especially since the political one is such a big deal. I'm sure Sakura will like it, girls like weddings right?" Kankuro laughed.

"I suppose they do, though Sakura doesn't seem particularly interested. Anyways, we'll see you around Kiba! You got my message right? Don't forget to get the guys together tomorrow, I want to talk about something. Oh and the male sensei as well." Kiba nodded and grinned as Gaara gave his brother a strange look.

"See you guys later!" He smiled and walked away with Akamaru at his side. Gaara looked at Kankuro for clarification about his odd request to Kiba and he merely shrugged. Deciding it was better not to ask Kankuro about anything he had planned, the two walked up the street to Sakura's house in silence before opening the door and walking inside. Immediately they could hear girly laughter and figured the girls got back before they did.

"Oh Sakura it's so pretty!" Tenten's voice carried down the hall and they heard Ino's voice next.

"Forehead you sure do clean up well. So are we going to do this style or that one?" They heard shuffling and then more chatter.

"Well we could try that one." Hinata's small voice chirped. Kankuro grinned and looked at Gaara before walking down the hallway and sitting in Temari's doorway so that he could hear the girls better.

"So you are still leaving tomorrow then?" Ino asked in a tone that seemed very different from the lighter tones before and Kankuro heard a sigh.

"Yes, I'll be back before the day ends so it won't be much of a problem. Although I'll need someone to keep them entertained." Sakura's voice had changed pitch and tone, causing Gaara to look over at Kankuro who had also noticed the change.

"Well we can get them to spar with Lee and Naruto. That should keep them busy for a while." Tenten sighed as they heard Ino snort.

"That's a good idea, those two will keep them out there all day." Hinata spoke next, her voice much quieter than the rest of them.

"How long has it been?" There was a pause as Sakura obviously thought about something.

"Well about seven years ago I guess. Since I'm twenty two now and it was when I was fifteen. I haven't told him about all of it yet." They heard a gasp from the girls and then Ino's voice a bit louder.

"What do you mean you haven't told him about it?" They heard Sakura sigh.

"I was planning on telling him when I get back. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?! That is a huge deal Sakura, I know it is. It's still hard for you, we all know that. If it makes it any easier I'll be the one to tell them tomorrow." Sakura obviously nodded because Ino's voice immediately went back to a cheerful tone, "Good now that that's settled, let's fix your hair." Kankuro walked back into the kitchen where Gaara was standing with a furrowed brow and his eyes a bit cold.

"She'll tell us whatever it is tomorrow but we'll just have to go along with whatever they want us to do." Gaara nodded stiffly and turned to Kankuro.

"Why wouldn't she tell me she was going somewhere? I would understand." Kankuro shrugged.

"Maybe it's something private like some rite of passage she has to do to get married or something. Or maybe it's just something personal like visiting an old relative or something." Gaara nodded but didn't change his expression.

They heard the girls laughing as they walked into the kitchen where the two were now sitting.

"Well Forehead, see you later! And don't do anything to mess up that hair of yours!" Sakura rolled her eyes and nodded as Hinata and Tenten called their goodbyes and drug Ino out of the house. Sakura turned to Gaara and Kankuro and smiled.

"So do you want to stay in for dinner or go out to eat?"

"I think we should go out to eat. Ichiraku's maybe?" Kankuro questioned, as Sakura merely shrugged.

"I've eaten there all my life so I can't exactly object."

"That sounds great!" Temari agreed and walked over to the door, pulling on her cloak and shoes alongside Kankuro.

Sakura walked over to Gaara and leaned over to him before whispering in his ear. "I know you heard everything and I'll explain everything tonight. Can you slip out of your room around twelve?" Gaara looked down at her and nodded.

"I didn't cover my chakra completely. Your chakra reacts with mine." He pointed to the mark on her neck and she smiled.

"I like it you know. It's comforting." Gaara gave her a small smile as she shrugged on her cloak. She smiled and buttoned it shut as he pulled on his own cloak and they walked over to the door where Kankuro and Temari were waiting. They walked out into the snow and down the road to the familiar restaurant where a familiar blonde and two green clad figures sat next to a silver haired man. Sakura smiled and pulled Gaara inside. Gai was the first to spot them and grinned broadly, jumping up and holding up a glass of water to Sakura and Gaara.

"A toast to youth! Kazekage-sama, you and Sakura-san are going on a grand adventure of youth together! Congratulations!" He winked, giving them a thumb up before Kakashi pulled him back down to a sitting position. Temari stood by the entrance with one eyebrow raised higher than the other next to Kankuro who was trying extremely hard not to laugh. Lee grinned at them and gave Sakura a beaming smile that caught her slightly off guard.

"Sakura-san! I hope you and Gaara have a youthful life!" Sakura nodded to him as did Gaara. Naruto smiled at them and called them over to the stools next to him.

"Hey Sakura-chan! We told Kakashi yesterday about you and Gaara." He grinned as Kakashi gave her his standard eye crinkle smile.

"I'm happy for you Sakura. You have certainly earned the high position and I am happy you have found someone." Sakura smiled at him and thought of the man who had watched her grow up from afar.

The past few years Kakashi had finally began to atone for his neglect of her during their younger days. He had began asking her to spar with him, teaching her things and giving advice as a way to make up for what he had done. Sakura had been touched by this as she had indeed held a slight grudge against her Sensei who had always preferred the natural talents and strengths of the boys as opposed to her own strengths. She had proved herself time and time again and he had apologized for his actions. It was enough for her to soften to him and respect him again.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you think you could give me away at my wedding? You were my Sensei and I figured it would only be right seeing as Tsunade is the one officiating the wedding." Kakashi shot her what she assumed to be a rather surprised look. It was hard to tell but after years of knowing the copy nin, she had learned that a slight quirk of the eyebrows was as much of a surprised expression as any.

"I'd be happy to Sakura." He smiled and handed her a bowl of ramen, which she took and thanked him before beginning to eat.

Gaara looked at Kakashi and then received his own ramen as Temari and Kankuro bought theirs, sitting as far away from the overenthusiastic Gai as possible.

Naruto was the first to initiate small talk, gushing about a new jutsu he was attempting to perfect. Sakura was commenting on his reckless training tactics as Gai attempted to have a conversation with Kakashi accompanied by occasional enthusiastic nods from Lee.

The first to leave were Gai and Lee, making their excuse that they had to have their nightly run before they could retire. Kakashi left not far behind them with a lazy over-the-shoulder wave as he disappeared out of the warmth of Ichiraku's, leaving them to foot the bill per the usual. Naruto left at the same time Sakura and Gaara did with Temari and Kankuro already arguing their way down the street. Naruto said goodbye to them as they reached the point where their paths split, promising to see them soon. Gaara and Sakura waved to him and followed the bickering Temari and Kankuro to the house. They opened the door just as the argument came to a close, both parties looking sufficiently tired.

"I'm tired from yesterday, I'm going to bed." Kankuro nodded and yawned as well.

"I was up most of the night last night. I'm going to go to bed as well. Night Sakura." He smiled at her and gave a nod to Gaara before disappearing. Gaara smiled at Sakura and walked down to his room as Sakura went into hers.

She sat down on the bed and checked the time. The little clock displayed 10:00. She sighed and flopped into her bed settling down with a book to pass the next two hours until she could talk to Gaara. Inner Sakura took this opportunity to enter Sakura's mind.

"So tomorrow huh? I think it's a good thing but it's really close to the wedding. We're getting married in six days." Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Yes we are getting married in six days, almost five days now. You know as well as I do that I need to do this or I won't feel right. I do it every year but this time will be special." Inner Sakura nodded and disappeared in Sakura's mind. She soon lost herself in her book not noticing the hours ticking by. She was so engrossed in her book she didn't realize Gaara was leaning against her wardrobe watching her with an amused expression that had only began to develop after meeting Sakura. She glanced up with a small start, seeing Gaara staring at her so openly from across the room.

Gaara walked over to her and sat on her bed as Sakura gave him an amused smile. "Do you intend to make it a habit of startling me?" He gave her a soft smile.

"You appeared so interested in your book; I didn't want to disturb you. It's fascinating the look you get when you are studying something." She blushed a little under his steady gaze and put the discarded book on her nightstand.

He looked at her as she turned back to him and looked down at her hands. He noticed right away that the engagement ring was still on her finger. It gave him a sense of pride seeing it there. It was as much a symbol to him as her mark was. He took her hand in his own, running his finger along the band of the ring with a soft expression.

"You wanted to tell me something I believe." He stated this in a mere whisper, as if he knew the words would burst the comfort and ease surrounding them. As Sakura sighed he realized that they had done exactly that.

"Gaara I didn't want to tell you this until after I got back since I thought it would be too weird for me to explain and didn't think I needed to. I'm sorry if it seems a little odd but I think you might understand it better than others." She spoke a little softly and Gaara watched her with a plain and slightly scrutinizing expression that he usually wore.

She continued when he didn't say anything. "Well my mother died when I was fifteen but my father died when I was only four. I was very young then. I remember him, but not as well as my mother. I wasn't here when my mother died, I was training with Lady Tsunade." She paused, looking down at her hands for a moment.

"My mother was out of Konoha getting produce from a village north of Konoha. She was on her way back when she was attacked by rogues and was demanded to give them her money and produce. Well, my mother was not going to give them up without a fight because that's just the kind of person she was. She must have tried to fight them all but there were too many and she wasn't equipped to deal with them and, instead of simply knocking her out, they killed her. One of the squads out on patrol found her the next day." Gaara watched as Sakura rubbed her engagement ring with slow twisting motions.

"Tsunade and I got the message and came right back to Konoha. Naruto was still off training with Jiraiya and wasn't here. Ino and the rest of them, they comforted me but they didn't know what it felt like. Sure, we all understand the feeling of loss and every year of certain anniversaries names and faces fill our thoughts, but all of them still have some family." Once again she paused and Gaara waited for her to continue. Her voice was soft and even, not yet wavering but on edge, as if the words were harsh on her tongue.

"Naruto came back a few months later and I greeted him at the gate. I was fine until he asked me if my mother was going to enter her cookies in the contest at the cherry blossom festival that was coming up in few weeks. I broke down crying right there on my porch steps and told him the whole story." Gaara looked at Sakura with a creased brow as silent tears began rolling down her face. "It will be seven years tomorrow since she died. I wanted to go to her grave and my father's like I do every year and talk to them. Tell them about what's going on and say hello. I miss her so much and I don't think it's right to leave without saying goodbye." Gaara looked at her as she raised her head up and looked at him as he raised a hand and wiped away the tears still drying on her face.

"I of all people understand the feeling of losing someone and needing to keep them alive in your memories. This is something important to you and you never need to explain it. I understand Sakura." He stroked her hair softly and she looked up at him, her tears gone and, in their place, a small smile.

"Thank you." She murmured as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again she found herself caught in a gentle and understanding look rarely seen on her redheaded fiancé. Removing her hand from his grasp, she reached up and gently placed it on his cheek. "You've changed so much since you became Kazekage."

Gaara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled slightly. "I've changed because of the people who have showed me who I am and who I want to be." He looked down at her, catching her gaze and holding it intently. "I've changed because I have felt love and support from my siblings, friends, and from you Sakura. Whether you knew it or not, you helped me long before there was anything between us."

He rubbed her cheek with his thumb before gently leaning forwards and kissing her lightly. She returned his kiss just as gently and caring. He could taste a faint trace of salt left by the tears that had fallen onto her lips. He pulled back from the kiss first, kissing both of her eyelids.

"You know I never thought you could be so, romantic." Sakura murmured. Gaara gave her another one of his small smiles.

"I wasn't trying to be. It just seemed like the thing to do." She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.

"That's so very you. Do you think they'd notice if you spent the night in here?" Gaara looked down at his pink haired fiancée and stared.

"I don't think they would care now." Sakura smiled and settled next to him with her head resting on his shoulder. He leaned back onto the pillows and pulled the covers over them. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"When we're married we won't have to worry about them. If only the politicians weren't so nosy and old fashioned. It isn't such a crime to sleep together." Gaara gave her a rather intrigued looking stare as her face darkened slightly at her choice of words. "That was- I worded that rather strangely I only meant…" Gaara's expressions changed slightly and Sakura couldn't help but stare.

"I know what you meant. We don't have to worry about them now and I don't care about the politicians. They have no business in my personal affairs. No one expects us to be apart now that it has been officially announced." Sakura's cheeks remained red as Gaara's eyes narrowed and he smirked slightly. "Although, I am hesitant to wake my siblings just yet." Sakura's eyes grew wide as he simply smiled and reached over, shutting off the light. "Goodnight Sakura."

Sakura could only gape at him, still red and rather shocked at the words Gaara had spoken and the implications behind them. While she was not entirely inexperienced and certainly not innocent herself, she had never thought of Gaara speaking in such a way. With a rather new view of him in her head, she decided some sleep would do her good and focused on falling asleep to the sound of Gaara's steady breathing.

Gaara woke up the next morning and glanced over at Sakura who was still lying with her head on his shoulder. He lifted her carefully off him and snuck out of the room so as not to wake her. He was just walking down the hall and into his room when he heard Kankuro's door open. Gaara walked past Kankuro without him noticing and watched the sleepy puppet master walk past and scratch his head before walking into the bathroom. Gaara pulled his black shirt over his head and threw it into the laundry bin in his room. He pulled out another pair of his usual black pants and his usual crimson coat and vest. He pulled them on and walked out his door with a small smile on his face.

He had spoken rather boldly the night before and was rather pleased at the response it had elicited from Sakura. Her reaction was not a usual one; gaping and blushing as she had done gave him an interesting view of her. Gaara sniffed the air, hearing noises from the kitchen as well as the smell of eggs cooking. He was surprised to see that it was his sister doing the cooking, something that usually didn't happen due to her busy schedule and hatred of early mornings.

"Morning Gaara! Is Kankuro up yet?" Gaara nodded and sat at the table as Temari handed him a plate of eggs. She smiled nicely at him and Gaara knew immediately that she was trying to get them out of the house early and distract them so Sakura could go visit her parents. Temari was never this cheerful and agreeable in the morning. He ate the eggs quietly as Kankuro walked in and grabbed his plate Temari smiled at them as Sakura walked in.

"Thanks Temari for making breakfast!" Sakura smiled. She was wearing a black dress with her family symbol on the back and black shorts underneath. She took a plate and ate the eggs rather quickly, shooting Gaara a simple smile to which he nodded in return. Temari stretched and looked at Gaara and Kankuro with a grin on her face.

"Hey why don't we go spar? Come on it'll be fun!" She smiled and Kankuro shrugged.

"Why not, could do me some good. Sakura are you coming with us?" He looked over at Sakura who was rinsing her plate off in the sink. She smiled and shook her head.

"I need to talk to Hinata's cousin about the cake or Ino will have my head. You guys go and enjoy yourselves." She smiled as they stood up and waved goodbye to her, Gaara giving her a knowing look, before putting on their cloaks and leaving.

She sighed and walked back into her bedroom grabbing her pack and her cloak. She walked back into the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink before walking over to the door and putting on her shoes. The coat she grabbed was one of her nicer ones, used for special occasions. She opened the door with a small sigh, walking out into the street and up towards Ino's flower shop.

Ino wasn't there but her father was. He smiled and gave Sakura the flowers she ordered. Sakura took them and was about to pay when he stopped her.

"Ino told me they were on the house." Sakura stopped and gave him a blank stare before nodding her thanks.

"Thank you." He nodded.

"Goodbye Sakura-san." She called as Sakura walked out of the flower shop.

She looked at the flowers and couldn't help but smile. Three white lilies, a few irises, a few red roses and her father and mother's favorite, cherry blossoms. Sakura silently reminded herself to thank Ino later.

The main road was still rather empty, but instead of taking it, Sakura turned a left, off the normal route she usually took. She kept walking through the streets on a familiar, but secluded, route. She didn't want to be seen by anyone she knew, not today at least. Today she just wanted to get to where she was going. Sakura walked down the old path back into the small, secluded area on the far side of Konoha. There were trees planted around an iron gate keeping what lay on the other side from view of anyone who would happen to pass by.

Inside the gates was a large graveyard. Towards the back was a corner where two headstones stood, silent and apart from the larger collection of stones with family names.

Sakura walked over to them and knelt down. She took out a scroll from her bag and mindlessly did the hand signals for it. In it was a broom, a cloth and bottle of cleaner, a few sticks of incense, and a red cloth with her family symbol on it. Sakura stood and draped the cloth around the two headstones with a small smile. Next came the incense sticks, placed carefully into the two bottles on either side of the headstones. She then pulled a match out of her bag and struck it on the ground lighting the incense and letting its sweet smell fill the air.

Sakura stood and picked up the bottle of cleaning solution and the rag. She sprayed the solution on either stone and polished each one carefully until they both had a shine to them. She looked it over before taking the broom and beginning to sweep the ground until it was clean. Only then did she seal the broom, cloth, and bottle of solution back in her scroll. She picked up the flowers and laid them in between the two graves before smiling. With a deep breath, she touched the stones gently and began to speak.

"Hello Mom, Dad. I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier. I've been busy training with Tsunade and working. It's been about a year now I suppose. I've gotten stronger than I was a year ago. My job hasn't changed. I still help people, I still save lives. I even bring them into the world. I told you when I was little I wanted to help people and I've been following that dream ever since."

She smiled slightly and ran her fingers across the stones once with a wistful expression. "Do you remember when I told you I loved you? I hear people say that we say that too much. But I think I never did say it enough." Sakura took a deep breath, steadying herself as she continued.

"Dad, you know that I finished school long ago and joined a team. They have changed over the years; we've been broken and rebuilt, and sometimes replaced. Naruto is still a loudmouth but he's starting to really mature." She smiled as she thought of her blonde teammate. "I remember you telling me once that I was your little girl. I always will be your little girl Dad; I just might have grown a little stronger than you thought."

Her eyes moved to the stone on her right. "I wish you could have seen me get the promotions I've gotten mom. I'm the top field medic in Konoha now. Tsunade and Shizune still have seniority at the hospital but I'm right up there with them. I know you would have wanted to see my promotion to head medic. You would have been standing there, crying as usual, you always did get emotional over things like that."

Sakura adjusted the cloth on the stones slightly before looking back at the names once more. "I did it for you both. Every step I was pushing myself I kept you both in mind. I remember what you both told me. 'Do what your heart tells you to do first. That's what is right.' I remember that and I'll never forget." She stopped again, smiling sadly.

"I'm going to be leaving Konoha soon. I know it's sudden, but I have a good reason. There's someone in my life now that's important enough for me to leave. His name is Sabaku no Gaara. He was in the Chunin exams with me. Mom you must have seen him. He had red hair and dark rings around his eyes. He fought with sand and was one of the strongest there. His sister and brother Temari and Kankuro, his siblings, were in the exams as well. Everyone called him the demon boy, the demon boy from sand and the Sand Siblings were the most feared team. You must have heard the talk mom. Two demons in Konoha, it was unheard of." She shook her head slightly and sighed.

"He was so hard and angry back then. They treated him like a weapon, his entire village hated him, they even tried to kill him as a child. He is a Jinchuuriki. Like Naruto, he has a tailed beast inside of him. The one tailed tanuki demon, Shukaku. He was treated horribly his whole life and it made him tough and angry. He hated everyone because of it but Naruto showed him what it could be like if he didn't think that way. He changed after that. I never did tell you but, during the attack in the exam he was overtaken by Shukaku. He tried to kill me and would have succeeded if Naruto hadn't stopped him. After that he disappeared for a while, he changed. He got his act together and became the Kazekage like his father before him but so much better than him. I was sent on a mission to retrieve him once when the Akatsuki, that insane group I told you about, captured him. I hadn't really spent a lot of time with him or really saw him after that until he came to Konoha this Christmas Eve. I know it sounds crazy but I fell in love with him. He's unlike anyone I've ever met. I-I love him with my whole heart."

Sakura was now crying. She didn't know why, she now almost never cried when talking to them but here she was, sobbing over her parent's graves. She shook a little but looked up, forcing a smile onto her face as she took in a shaky breath. She blinked back the tears, hoping they would stop, but they kept coming so she continued despite them.

"H-he asked me to marry him. I never thought he'd be capable of that but he loves me and he wants me to be his. I-I said yes. We're getting married in five days and I'm moving to Suna."

Sakura's smile grew wider as she looked at her mother's stone. "Oh mom the dress is so beautiful! Ino and the rest of the girls helped me pick it. Shikamaru and the boys helped Gaara. Shikamaru really helped both of us he is so nice to me. I've seen him visit you sometimes. I know you both really liked him. His parents were very good friends with you. They come here too sometimes but I'm sure you know that."

She trailed off for a moment, sniffing a bit as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "I also wanted to say that Tsunade-sama adopted me. She is like you mom. She helps me so much. She is going to continue what you did. She will never fill that place you left but she is so kind and will be there for me like you were Mom. Dad, Kakashi-sensei is giving me away at my wedding. He was my Sensei but he's not you."

She looked up at the stones and bit her lip before bursting into fresh tears, putting her forehead in her hands on her lap. She was almost completely doubled over now and every sob that escaped her lips sounded worse than the last. "It's not fair. W-why did you both h-have to g-go? I miss you so much! Why did they have to kill you mom? Why did you have to be so stubborn? Dad why did you have to go!?"

She was hiccupping now, her small form shaking under the coat as horrible sounds escaped her lips.

She heard steps behind her but she didn't care. Her pink hair hid her face from the world, contorted into one of extreme sorrow and pain. She felt a hand on her shoulder first, alerting her to the presence of someone close to her, and then an arm around her shoulders. She stayed in her position and kept crying as the person sat next to her quietly. She looked up after a moment to see Shikamaru, his face a silent mask.

"I wanted to stop by and I saw that you were here. Kankuro is looking for you. He thinks it's odd that you've been gone for three hours." Sakura blinked and looked up at him, her emerald eyes red and puffy with tears still rolling down her face and tear streaks all down her cheeks.

"I've been here for three hours?" Shikamaru nodded and Sakura looked back at the graves where the incense sticks were almost burned out. "I didn't notice." She mumbled in a small voice.

Shikamaru looked at the graves and helped Sakura stand up. Her knees were stiff from kneeling so long and she healed the sore muscles and stretched them before carefully removing the cloth from the stones and putting it in her bag.

Shikamaru took her arm in his when she took a shaky step saying his hellos to both of her parents graves and saying a few quick words before leaving the graveyard with Sakura's arm looped in his. It was an unusual sight, the pink haired firecracker of Konoha leaning on the resident lazy ninja. But nobody who saw they would repeat what they saw in gossip; they could all see the pain and knew it was something they all understood.

They walked down the road with Sakura healing around her eyes so they were not red and puffy and she looked like she had never even been crying. She looked over at Shikamaru who was watching her.

"I won't tell, not even Gaara." Sakura smiled and he did as well leading her down the road to the forest where they unlinked arms and walked through to the training grounds.

End of Chapter 40


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bachelor and Bachelorette parties part 1.

Shikamaru walked out onto the training grounds while Sakura snuck up into a tree above where Naruto was resting. Kiba and Kankuro were sparring with Gaara watching and Temari and Tenten sparring on the other side of the training field. Hinata and Ino were talking to each other quietly on the other side of the clearing and Shikamaru decided to join Gaara.

"Hello Shikamaru." Gaara greeted him as he leaned back against the tree.

"Hello Gaara." He acknowledged back. Gaara sighed.

"Did you find her?" He nodded.

"She's up in the trees. Do not mention her parents today. It would not be a good idea." Gaara looked over at him with a flat expression.

"I never once thought to. She explained the situation." Shikamaru nodded. He smirked as Akamaru pounced on Kankuro barking and licking him as Kankuro pushed at the large animal.

"Kiba! Get him off me!" Kiba was laughing hard, clutching his stomach as he fervently shook his head.

"Sorry Kankuro I can't. This is training after all." He grinned and Kankuro continued his efforts to push the dog off him.

Naruto sat by the tree chuckling at the scene before him and Gaara and Shikamaru turned their gaze to him, noticing movement above the blonde. He had his arms behind his head and was in a completely relaxed position. They saw him close his eyes again before a flash of pink flew out of the trees and slammed into his back, making him go flying across the training grounds.

Sakura stood near the tree grinning as Naruto stopped himself by hitting a tree on the far side of the field. Akamaru stopped his attacks on Kankuro and ran over to Sakura, nuzzling her hand and barking happily. She smiled and ruffled his fur as Kiba and Kankuro walked over.

"You always did know how to make an entrance Forehead." Ino shook her head as Kiba grinned at her.

"Hey Sakura, how are the wedding preparations going?" Kiba asked. Sakura blinked, wondering why he had asked that before realizing her cover and nodding.

"They're going great. I came here to see you guys and talk to Neji. Is he here?" Kiba shook his head.

"Why do you need to talk to that ice block?" Kiba asked, crossing his arms. She pulled Kiba aside, leaving Kankuro standing there a bit dumbfounded. Kiba looked at her quizzically as she pulled him over to the other end of the training fields. Kiba crossed his arms and looked at her.

"You are being very cryptic. What's up Sakura?" His brow furrowed as he looked down at her. She took a deep breath and mumbled something Kiba's highly trained ears caught. He looked at her for a moment before bursting out into barking laughter.

Sakura glared at him as everyone's attention was directed towards the glaring kunoichi and the dog nin doubled over in uproarious laughter. Sakura grabbed onto his ear and dragged him out of the training fields making him yelp in pain and struggle to keep up with her angry pace.

Gaara and Shikamaru watched this odd scene and looked at each other with a moment of confusion. Sakura pulled Kiba well out of earshot of anyone before she let go of the yelping boy. "Ok, ok! I'm sorry I laughed! Ouch Sakura, that hurt!" He rubbed his ear sorely and looked at her.

"You should be sorry. It's not funny and I don't want to ask him, but I have to." She sighed and Kiba smiled.

"You know he's not the only one who can do that. Shino can and so can I. I even think Shikamaru can but he would say it was too troublesome and Shino would be more awkward than Neji." Sakura looked up at him and sighed.

"See, that's why I need to ask Neji." Kiba laughed and shook his head.

"I'll teach you Sakura." She looked up at him and he grinned, showing his large canines clearly. "Aw come on Sakura, I'm really good at it you know. I'm a heck of a lot better than that stiff and I'll teach you without complaints. Besides, it'll be one of my last chances to do it before you're married." Sakura thought about it and nodded.

"I guess you're right, but are you sure you're the best choice?" Kiba rolled his eyes and nodded.

"I've known how to since I was a kid. I am the next in line for the head of my clan you know. I had to know how to for fancy dinners and whatever." He waved it away with his hand and smiled at her. "So what do you already know?" Sakura shifted a little and shrugged.

"Really I just shuffle around and hope I don't mess up. I can do a basic two step but that was at Tsunade's party though and there were a lot of other people doing it. I would embarrass myself if I was alone." Kiba nodded.

"I doubt you were that bad at dancing Sakura." Sakura looked at him and he backed down. "Well then I guess I have five days to make you a master." Kiba nodded to Akamaru who walked back to the training fields where Naruto and Kankuro were sparring while Tenten chatted to Ino about decorations. Shikamaru and Gaara saw the dog walk back and sit down, now becoming increasingly interested in what was going on with Sakura and Kiba. They both decided to go check it out.

Back in the forest Sakura was shifting on her feet as Kiba took one of her hands.

"Now put your hand on my waist and I'll put mine on the small of your back." Sakura shot him a stern as he did so making the dog nin grin. Sakura stomped on his foot making him yip and roll his eyes at her. "That is not something we are aiming for." He admonished as she gave him a slight glare. "Now let me lead in the dance. You follow my movements."

Sakura did so as he moved slowly in careful steps that Sakura tried to follow. She only stepped on him once before she got the hang of it. Kiba nodded. "Good you're a fast learner. We should have you dancing like a professional in only two days at this rate. Now I'm going to let go of your waist and you spin out before spinning back to me and back in to the same position." Sakura nodded and they continued to dance working up a bit of a sweat completely oblivious to the pair of eyes watching them with amused expressions.

"Dancing lessons?" Shikamaru questioned. Gaara shook his head.

"I know how to dance so why does she need lessons?" Shikamaru shook his head in return.

"Sakura isn't a very strong dancer so she might mess up. I for one am just glad she chose to learn how to dance with Kiba and not Neji. He's a bit stuck up and might end up in the hospital after one lesson because of her temper. That would be troublesome for all of us." Gaara nodded.

"Yes, but I could have taught her." Gaara said evenly. Shikamaru looked over at him and smirked.

"She is way too proud to admit to you that she can't dance well. She asked someone else that she's known for a long time because it would be less embarrassing. Don't bring it up to her." He gave Gaara a serious look and Gaara returned it before they both jumped back to the training fields.

When they got there Shikamaru looked at him and walked over to a spot away from where the others were sparring and laid down on the snow covered ground with his arms behind his head. Gaara sat next to him and looked over at the shadow nin.

"How did you meet Sakura?" Shikamaru looked over at him and shrugged.

"We were both babies when we met. Our mothers were friends. We all grew up together but I usually wasn't with the group. We weren't really friends until later. When we got older we talked a lot. The odd thing is that most people who have known each other for that long had some sort of romantic pulls towards each other at least once but we never did. She is my friend and I never once thought about that. Neither did she." Gaara nodded at him and smiled.

"I'm glad that you are so close to her. That will make it easier to live with you if you marry my sister." Shikamaru's eyes became wide and he did a rare thing. Shikamaru spluttered and was at a loss for words. Gaara sat there watching him with a look of triumph on his face. He eventually managed to form coherent words.

"What do you mean?" Gaara shook his head.

"When are you going to make your move? At least ask her to dance at the reception, both of them." Shikamaru stared at him and then sighed, running a hand through his ponytail.

"I guess I'm just too lazy for my own good sometimes." Gaara silently agreed as Temari walked over towards them. He stood up and looked at Shikamaru who watched him leave.

"You're on your own." He shot Gaara a glare as Gaara walked away and Temari walked over and sat next to him. He looked away and started talking calmly completely with a look of boredom. He said something that made Temari's eyes grow wide as she suddenly grinned and grabbed onto his arm, asking him something in return.

At this point everyone was watching them and Temari noticed, quickly letting go of Shikamaru and pretending to be very interested in something else. Shikamaru, however, had a blank look on his face, obviously not expecting to have received a reaction so enthusiastic.

Gaara smiled to himself as Naruto and Kankuro attempted to rouse the shadow nin by waving their hands in front of his face and pinching him, causing him to come back to his senses and give them a pointed look as they both grinned at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Troublesome."The group laughed as Temari hit him on the arm and arched her eyebrows at him.

Just then, Sakura and Kiba returned and Akamaru bounded up to the boy barking. Kiba listened to the dogs barking and looked up at the annoyed Shikamaru fending off Kankuro and Naruto's nudges and winks and the pleased looking Temari sitting not far away. He started laughing as he leaned over to relay the story to Sakura. She smiled and walked over to Temari nudging her in the ribs, making her turn and grin.

"Nice going." Temari smiled.

"Gaara talked to him I think because he asked me out officially as soon as Gaara left and I walked over." Sakura looked at the Kazekage to see him smirking while casually leaning against a tree. Kankuro and Naruto had begun to interrogate Shikamaru, no doubt asking him about him and Temari. Sakura walked over to Gaara and slid silently next to him, their arms touching. He looked down at her and she smiled.

"Do you want to go get some soba?" He nodded and they called to the others saying they were leaving. Hinata left as well, having watched the commotion from a distance, followed by Ino who was chatting to her about the wedding. Temari and Shikamaru left to go get some ramen with Naruto and Kankuro who were still pestering the rather exasperated looking Shikamaru. Kiba and Akamaru headed back towards the compound, leaving the training fields empty. Gaara looked over at Sakura who was humming as she walked. She caught his stare and blinked slowly, her cheeks turning slightly pink. He smiled and took her hand.

"I will never get used to that." Sakura looked at him with a confused expression.

"Get used to what?" She cocked her head to one side slightly as he smiled.

"Your cheeks turning pink." Sakura laughed and Gaara merely smiled.

"Well then you'll have to deal with it." He made a small chuckling noise as they walked into the soba restaurant and sat down as Kari took their orders and Sakura felt the stares from the people in the restaurant on her back. Gaara didn't seem to notice as he thanked Kari for the soba and paid for it as Sakura gave him a stern glance.

"You don't need to give me that look Sakura. I'm your fiancé, I should be allowed to pay for your dinner." He gave her his signature serious, yet kind look that made Sakura give in nearly every time. She rolled her eyes and ate the soba quietly trying to block out the feeling of people watching her. Gaara still seemed unaffected by the stares that people were giving them. Obviously everyone had read the article about their engagement. She just wished they wouldn't stare.

 _"They should be used to it by now."_ Sakura thought bitterly. _"They are used to shinobi and kunoichi eating in town. I know I'm engaged to Gaara, but nobody ever used to stare when it was regular shinobi and kunoichi eating around but now since I'm engaged I suddenly become oh so interesting."_ Gaara looked at his pink haired fiancée who had seemed to have quickly forgotten the subject of payment and now appeared to be lost in thought.

"Sakura?" He questioned cautiously as her head snapped up. She gave him a smile and continued eating. He shrugged it off as simply being distracted and finished his soba as she finished hers.

They walked out of the Soba shop and back to her house in relative silence, their arms linked once more. Kankuro and Temari were already there talking in the living room when they entered the house. They quickly shut up when Sakura and Gaara walked in and Sakura didn't miss Temari shoving a scroll in her pack. Sakura stared at them and sat down on the couch slowly. She talked to Temari for a while as Gaara disappeared to change into more comfortable clothing. Sakura excused herself as Gaara returned, stating that she needed to shower. The siblings nodded, waiting until she was gone to start talking.

"Was she acting a bit, well off today?" Kankuro asked as soon as they heard the shower running. Temari said nothing but Gaara knew she was aware of the significance of this day to Sakura. "She seemed a little bit run down and spacey all day." He continued as Gaara sat quietly on the couch and stretched.

"She's tired. She had a long night at the hospital the other day and she needs to recover." Temari looked at Kankuro and shrugged.

"That seems like a good explanation." Kankuro agreed and leaned back into the sofa.

They all went to their rooms one after another after Sakura returned, stating that she was rather tired and was heading to bed early.

The next few days seemed to follow a pattern. They woke up and went to the training fields where they sparred with their friends for a few hours. Afterwards they all went out to eat at Ichiraku's. Sakura then snuck away to take dancing lessons from Kiba. Then they all went their separate ways and talked to friends of theirs or the girls discussed wedding plans. Before anyone knew it was the day before the wedding. Sakura woke up groggy and tired and trudged into her bathroom where she ended up shrieking as she was surprised by Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Temari all crowded into the space.

"You're getting married tomorrow!" They all screamed. Except for Hinata who merely shrugged apologetically at the shell shocked Sakura.

"I know this, but why the _hell_ are you all in my bathroom?!" Sakura shouted back and the girls just grinned before pushing her behind the shower curtain and telling her to take a shower and then come back into her bedroom. Sakura did as they said and walked back into her room in her plain white sports bra and panties with a robe on over them. Ino looked at her and shook her head.

"Forehead, you really need to up your underwear style. Lucky for you, we found a little something of yours that gave us hope." Ino gave her what could only be described as a disturbing smile as she held up a lacey pair of black panties that Sakura had completely forgot about along with a corset. Sakura visibly paled as she saw the scroll with the forgotten lingerie from the mission lying open on her bed. Tenten was grinning as she looked at the lingerie and Temari was laughing at the corset Ino held.

"Oh I am so going to see you in that!" The corset was forced into her arms along with the matching boy shorts with the red heart on the back. She was pushed back into the bathroom and emerged a minute later with the black corset on and the red ribbon tied in a neat bow on her chest. She blushed and tugged on the boy shorts as Temari and the girls squealed over her.

"Oh my gosh Sakura you're so gorgeous in that!" Ino exclaimed and Hinata nodded, blushing nearly as much as Sakura was. Temari grinned and shook her head.

"Let's see if we can't tie you up and mail you to Gaara. That would be a nice wedding present wouldn't it?" She held up a ribbon in jest, which Ino quickly grabbed, as Sakura shrieked as she quickly vacated her room into the one across the hallway that she forgot wasn't empty.

Unfortunately for her, there wasn't just one boy in the room. There were three. She gasped as she slammed the door and turned around to face a very surprised Naruto, Kiba, and Kankuro sitting around a scroll open on the floor. Their jaws all dropped as Sakura turned a tomato red. All three got nosebleeds and fell backwards on the floor as Sakura bolted back out of the room and straight into hers, slamming the door.

Temari and the girls were doubled over to the point they were gasping for breath as Hinata looked about ready to faint. Sakura glared at them angrily and grabbed her clothes from Ino stalking into the bathroom and slamming the door. Temari was the first one to catch her breath and looked at the rest of them.

"That was a bit mean to do to her." Ino shrugged.

"She deserved it for being too much of a prude. We all know she's got assets, she just chooses not to use them. Come on Forehead, we're going to have a bachelorette party all day and we need to get you ready." They heard Sakura mumble something before opening the door dressed in her white bra and panties.

"I'm not taking them off." She stated, glaring at the girls. Temari shrugged as Ino shook her head.

"Honestly now I know why they never want to send you on seduction missions." Sakura rolled her eyes as Ino stood up and threw her a pink kimono like the ones they were all wearing. "Put this on and we'll get going."

Sakura gave the garment a once over. It was simple with Sakura blossoms on the side and was a darker shade of pink than her hair.

Ino was in a purple one, Temari in a white one, Tenten was wearing a light green colored kimono and Hinata looked lovely in a pale blue kimono. Ino helped Sakura put on the kimono and they all fussed over her hair, ending up brushing it and putting in a hairclip on one side. They then walked into the hall where Kiba was standing. He looked at Sakura and smiled a wicked toothy smile that spanned from ear to ear.

"Hey Sakura, nice choice for the undergarments." She shot him one of her famous looks and walked past him as the girls snickered.

Sakura's embarrassment was prolonged when the group found the rest of the guys in the kitchen. Lee was practically strangling Naruto who was protesting heavily. Sakura looked at the odd scene of Neji, Shino, Shikamaru and Choji watching them attack Naruto and Kankuro trying calmly to explain to Gaara why.

Gaara looked rather irritated, but when he saw Sakura he calmed down a bit and ran his eyes along her body. She raised an eyebrow at him as he met her gaze for a moment only to see Sakura being ushered away from the boys by Ino and Temari. Shikamaru had let go of Naruto and was leaning against the counter watching Temari as she and Ino steered Sakura out towards the door.

As soon as they were gone, Choji dragged Kiba into the room and put him next to Kankuro and Naruto, proceeding to then lean against the counter. They all turned on them, with expectant expressions on their faces.

"Ok, spill. What happened that made her scream?" Shikamaru stated, glaring at the three. Naruto fidgeted slightly, avoiding his gaze.

"Well you see…the girls….they uh…Kiba?" He looked at the brown haired man for help, sweating a little under the scrutinizing glances being directed towards him. Kiba looked at Kankuro and smiled nervously.

"Kankuro?" Shikamaru glared at him and crossed his arms. Kankuro rubbed his neck nervously.

"The girls put her in an outfit she didn't like and pushed her into our room. She didn't know we were in there, she shrieked and ran out and that was it. It was nothing, really. I swear that was it." Shikamaru glared at them again and glanced to Choji who shrugged and nodded.

"If that's the whole story, then I suppose that's settled." They all sighed in relief as Shikamaru turned his attention towards Gaara who nodded his approval.

"Alright well now that that's over and the girls are gone for their bachelorette day, we can get going for our bachelor day!" Naruto happily declared, having quickly recovered from his former scrutiny. Gaara sighed and nodded.

"Let's get this over with." Naruto grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out the door, a bold move that had Kankuro shaking his head, and was followed by the rest of the guys. Shikamaru was calmer now and followed them placidly, talking to Choji as Kakashi and Gai met up with them outside. Gaara looked curiously at Naruto who simply grinned.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted them plainly, smiling at them lazily with his usual eye crinkle. Gai stood behind them smiling obnoxiously as he flashed Gaara two thumbs up.

Gaara inwardly cringed, never having been particularly fond of too much excitability in one place. Adding Gai to the already excitable mix of Naruto, Lee, and Kiba was certainly a bit much in his mind. But the man was a good teacher, that much was true, and he respected him for teaching Lee to be the person he had become. He admired those who learned to help others.

He nodded to them in greeting as Naruto and Kankuro ushered him down the road to a spot near the Konoha bridge. Gaara looked at them quizzically as Naruto summoned a Giant toad.

"Gamabunta. I need to you to take us somewhere." The toad looked at him from across the bridge and scowled slightly. He then saw Gaara and stiffly nodded.

"I forgot that was today. I know where to go Naruto, climb on." Naruto looked at Gaara and jumped onto the giant toad's back. The rest of them followed suit and Gamabunta set off at a fast pace.

"Mind telling me where we are going?" Gaara asked coolly. Kankuro grinned.

"Just go with it. You might even have fun. At least it's better than what I heard the girls were planning. I would hate to be Sakura today." Kankuro stated this with an accompanying pitied look making Gaara's brow furrow slightly.

Noticing this, Kankuro chuckled and clapped him on the back. "Come on enjoy your last day of being a single man!" This earned a round of shouts from the boys on the back on the toad. Gamabunta stopped and Naruto thanked him before turning to the rest of the group.

"Come on, we're here!" Lee and Naruto were the first ones off the toad and the rest followed, with Kiba jumping down next to Akamaru who had come along with them. They were stopped in the middle of a large field. Gaara looked at Naruto as Gamabunta disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Now will you please explain to me what is going on?" Gaara asked as calmly as he could without showing his slight frustration at the blonds' secretiveness. Naruto smirked.

"We are going to spar and then we are going to go and party at a place Kankuro reserved for us. We are near Konoha but I needed it to seem like we were farther away so I had Gamabunta do a few circles." Gaara maintained a stoic expression as Kankuro hit Naruto over the head.

"You weren't supposed to tell him that!" Naruto gave Kankuro a look as Shikamaru shook his head.

"Oops." Shikamaru crossed his arms as Lee smiled, jumping next to Gaara.

"Come on Gaara, I challenge you to a youthful sparring match!"

Kiba grinned and walked over. "Hey why don't we do teams? Like a capture the flag thing." Naruto nodded.

"Alright we can do three teams of three and one team of two. Hm ok so Neji, Shino and Choji, you can be the blue team." Naruto pulled a blue scroll out of his bag and handed it to them. "Kakashi-sensei and Gai can be the two man green team." He handed them a green scroll as Kakashi gave him a less than friendly look. "I'll be with Kiba and Gaara. We'll be the red team." He handed Gaara a red scroll. "That leaves Lee, Kankuro, and Shikamaru as the yellow team." He handed them the last scroll and grinned.

"We'll hide our scrolls and signal when we are ready. The object is to retrieve the other team's scrolls. You must have your scroll and two other teams scrolls in order to win. Kind of like the Forest of Death. We'll meet back here in two hours if nobody wins. As for the rules, we'll follow standard training exercise procedure. We want you to be able to stand after this, Sakura will kill us if we all come back injured." Kankuro, who had helped set most of this up, finished relaying the rules to the group.

"So we'll start, now." Naruto declared, jumping back as the teams all went off in different directions carrying their respective scrolls.

Meanwhile, the girls had made it to the village just outside of Konoha. Tsunade and Shizune were already there with Kurenai.

"Sakura! I haven't had a chance to congratulate you and now here we are, a day before your wedding!" The crimson-eyed kunoichi embraced her, smiling warmly. Sakura hugged her back and thanked her, having gained a fondness for the black haired woman over the years.

She said hello to Tsunade who gave her a smile and a nod just as a crying Shizune squeezed her tightly and sobbed something that sounded like,

"I'm s-so ha-happy for y-you!" Sakura pat her back awkwardly as the girls ushered her inside the spa.

Sakura looked around the inside; feeling oddly out of place upon realizing that it was very lavish and obviously expensive. Ino smiled at her friend's strange look, already knowing Sakura was often frugal and had never really splurged on herself in such a way.

"This is just the beginning! Hot springs first, then a facial and manicure with pedicure and then a full body massage! You'll feel and look better than you have in a long time, I promise. After all that we'll head back to Konoha and get dressed for the party!" Sakura paled visibly at the word party. Ino smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Come on Forehead, lighten up!"

Sakura sighed as Tsunade showed them to their room. It was a gorgeous room full of plush furniture and a long table. It was a luxury room just like the ones that she only ever dreamed about when on long missions.

Sakura walked over to the changing screens with the other girls and they all slid into their plain white silk robes. Sakura smiled and walked out with her towel to the large private hot springs where Tsunade and Shizune were already relaxing. They all smiled and settled into the warm water, sighing as they let their muscles relax.

After a while of silence, Kurenai spoke with a wistful look on her face.

"You know Sakura, I remember the day you were born oddly enough. I was young, only in my teens, but I knew your mother. I babysat you once as well. You were so young you probably don't remember. I remember you had the cutest little laugh. I can't wait to see your children some day, I am sure they will have the same laugh." Kurenai stated happily. Sakura blushed at the mention of children and Ino and the others laughed. Kurenai had become very open about discussing children ever since little Asuma was born. It was what the girls called her "proud mommy mode."

"Hey Forehead, do you remember when we were little and we used to play dress up?" Ino interjected, changing the subject rather abruptly. Sakura nodded.

"I remember we played wedding a lot. You were always the groom because you said you were a better leader." Sakura poked fun at her friend as Ino rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, I made a hotter guy than you did!" The girls laughed and Ino continued. "Do you remember when we were playing wedding and you tripped over that old dress your mother let you borrow? The one that was so big on you?" Sakura nodded and Ino continued. "I remember that oddly well. Didn't you roll down that hill right into the patch of brambles?" Sakura nodded and shook her head.

"It took me a whole week to get those brambles out of my hair!" Ino smiled as Tenten leaned forwards to address Sakura.

"Oh I remember when I first met you Sakura. It was at the chunnin exams and Lee attacked you right away with the whole, 'My name is Rock Lee and I want you to be my girlfriend' thing. You looked absolutely horrified and I couldn't help thinking it was hysterical!" Tenten laughed and Sakura nodded. Tsunade smiled and looked at the girls.

"When I was a kid in my team with Jiraiya we used to tease him endlessly. Once we tied him to a flag pole and wouldn't let him down until he admitted he liked someone. I never did find out what her name was though so he may have made a move on her but I never noticed. He once tried asking me and I sent him flying through three walls. I was only a chunnin at the time but I still had plenty of strength." The girls looked at each other and held back giggles knowing exactly who the pervy sage truly liked. They thought it was amusing that Tsunade was so oblivious.

"I remember when I was little and I met you Sakura. You were so nice to me and you always helped me gather flowers." Hinata stated this with a smile that seemed to lighten up her whole face, even though it was a rather simple memory that triggered it. Sakura smiled at the girl as the others nodded.

"You were always nice to us Sakura, well almost always. I mean you and Ino had that fight over Sasuke but you got over it eventually." Tenten stated. They all talked idly until Shizune announced that they should go get their nails done if they wanted to get to stay on schedule.

They all agreed and walked inside drying off before putting on their silk robes and walking down the hall to a room where the manicurists and pedicurists were waiting. Each girl sat in a chair and put their feet into the basins of warm water beneath them. The manicurist asked them what color nail polish they wanted and they all picked.

"We'll all get a light blue to match the bridesmaid dresses! Oh and little white flowers on them would be nice as well!" Ino said to the others, already taking control. They all nodded and Sakura looked at her manicurist who was waiting for her answer.

"She'll have a pink background with white and pink cherry blossom flowers with black branches." Tsunade stated casually from her place next to Sakura. The manicurist nodded and smiled at her before starting to file her nails and shape them. Ino sighed and leaned back in the chair as the manicurist and pedicurist worked on her.

"Forehead, when you are the Kazekage's wife you are so taking us to more places like this!" Sakura laughed and leaned back, closing her eyes. She stayed that way until she felt the manicurist's hands leave her fingers. She opened her eyes and saw the gorgeous nails she had painted. She looked over at Ino's and saw they were just as beautiful. She quickly made a mental note to get her nails done more often.

They all talked to one another as they walked into another room for their facials and full body massages.

 _"I could definitely get used to this."_ Sakura thought as her face was slathered in a mud cream and careful hands started to massage her arms relaxing her muscles and making her smile and lean back in bliss as the tightness built up from training and stress seemed to simply drift away. _"Oh yeah, I could definitely get used to this."_

End of Chapter 41


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bachelor and Bachelorette parties part 2.

The signal had gone up from all of the teams to start; the game had officially begun. Gaara looked to Naruto who had already made seven shadow clones. Their strategy was to divide and search; a reasonable tactic that was greatly advanced by Naruto's clones.

Naruto turned and gave Gaara a wide grin as he and his shadow clones disappeared into the trees. Gaara nodded in return and sent out his sand to search for chakra signals. He was the eyes of the group as providing a target was the immediate goal.

He opened his closed eyes when he felt a slight disturbance on the west side of the forest. He looked over at Kiba and Akamaru who were waiting for his signal. "West side of the forest." Kiba nodded and set off to find the person with Akamaru at his side.

Gaara had a casing of sand patrolling the scroll's location, confident that they had hidden it well. A movement to his left had him opening his eyes once more, a flash of orange alerting him to one of Naruto's clones who beckoned him over.

"I'm going to go explore the east side; one of us got hit by a trap in that direction." Gaara nodded and summoned his sand around him, making it lift him up to the tops of the trees. He flew over the forest, leaving him open but with a better view. After about a minute of watching, he saw a flash of black flash across the branches. He knew it was Kankuro and dropped down to his level, immediately following him in hot pursuit and tracking him with his sand. Kankuro stopped upon noticing his pursuer and grinned from ear to ear.

"It must be my lucky day. I get to face you first little brother." With a childlike grin present on his face, he summoned his puppet and Gaara and he sparred for a while until Naruto burst into the fray with an agitated Neji chasing after him.

The two immediately joined in the fight when Kankuro's puppet lashed out at Naruto, pulling him into the sparring match. Neji kept busy with his gentle fist technique as Naruto continued to send clone after clone upon him, replacing them the moment they poofed out of existence.

Gaara and Kankuro seemed locked in a sparring match with no clear winner. Gaara himself had been untouched, letting his sand shield him and deliver his blows without very much movement on the part of the redhead. Kankuro, knowing his brother's techniques, had been mostly on the defensive, attempting to draw out more of the sand in an effort to find some sort of opening.

Soon enough, Kakashi showed up and sat in the tree, deciding to watch them spar for a while until he saw Naruto slip away from the match. Neji dropped out of the sparring match as soon as he noticed the rapidly vanishing clones were only clones and disappeared into the forest in search of the scrolls once more. Kankuro took the slight distraction to disappear in a puff of smoke and Gaara took the advantage to disappear just as quickly.

Kakashi made note of the strengths and weaknesses he had seen from observing the sparring match and mentally filed them away for future use. He's seen them all fight before but it had been a long time since he had observed the Sand siblings. Movement caught his eye as Shikamaru alighted in a tree not too far away. Kakashi decided he would like to try and spar with the shadow nin if only to cure the slight boredom he had with the game and have a bit of fun.

"Gaara! I've got the yellow team's scroll. We have to keep it low key though." Naruto's clone had appeared in front of Gaara on the limb he was standing on. Gaara nodded and the clone disappeared into a puff of smoke. Not a moment later, he heard Kankuro yelling as he encountered another person in the woods.

"Agh! Why is it always the BUGS?!" He smiled as he realized Kankuro must have once again been facing the bug user whom he had previously fought long ago. A few minutes later, Kankuro went running past him across the branches with a small swarm of kikai chasing after him. The bug master himself was in a tree nearby casually watching the amusing scene. He nodded to Gaara and disappeared back into the shadows of the tall trees.

Gaara decided to find Kiba who was facing off against Choji on the west side of the forest, his sand had noticed the skirmish before but he had ignored it until now. Gai was watching them fight as well as sparring against Lee, pushing him to fight harder.

"Use the power of your youth to fuel your strength Lee!" Gai shouted joyously as the overzealous boy nodded furiously and nearly doubled his speed against his spandex clad mentor. In the midst of their fight they noticed Gaara and let him join in the sparring match after a few yells of encouragement and coaxing. Not being a taijutsu expert, Gaara was reluctant t join but did so anyways.

He had Lee surrounded in sand after quite a while but let him go immediately, not wanting to bring up any unsavory memories from the past. To his relief, Lee grinned at him as he was released from his sandy trap.

"Gaara you fight with a youthful passion! I think you have doubled in strength since our last sparring match!" Gaara stared at him with a questioning look as Kiba face palmed. The wide eyed shinobi certainly was resilient.

Shikamaru and Kakashi showed up a few minutes later with Naruto, Shino, Neji, and Kankuro following right after them.

"Did anyone win?" Kankuro asked, leaning against a tree. Naruto gave Gaara an enthusiastic look.

"Naruto, the yellow scroll." Naruto beamed and pulled out the yellow scroll. Akamaru returned with Gaara's red scroll and Gaara's sand brought the green scroll. Kakashi nearly groaned when Gai hit him on the back and proclaimed,

"I was at fault my youthful rival; I did not hide the scroll well enough!" He broke into tears but then pumped his fist in the air before shouting. "I am proud of your team's youthfulness Gaara! Let us go celebrate at the party!" Kankuro shook his head and put a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"I hate to agree with him, but let's get to the party! I for one have had enough of getting my ass handed to me by my younger brother." He grinned and Kiba hollered happily along with Naruto. Gaara looked over at Kankuro who had been staring at him with a wide grin for the majority of the run back.

"You'll love where I got for the party." Gaara looked at him with a questioning and somewhat stern expression.

"If it is anything like the party you attempted previously, I promise you I won't stick around for more than a minute." Kankuro put up his hands in a defeated pose.

"I said no strippers and I meant it."

"Well then I think this might be tolerable." Kankuro merely grinned.

"That's the spirit!"

Kiba sent Akamaru back to the compound and Naruto grinned as they walked into a small club. It was dark when they walked in and when the lights came on Gaara saw a few unknown male shinobi, Jiraiya, Iruka, Ibiki, and Baki.

Gaara's eyes widened minutely when he saw Baki standing there with what appeared to be a proud look on his face. They all cheered as Gaara walked over to them, a look of genuine surprise on his usually blank features.

"When did you get here?" Gaara asked his former teacher when everyone calmed down. Baki looked at him with his visible eye and shrugged.

"Last night. Kankuro sent the message a few days ago." He handed Gaara a glass of something that Gaara quickly pushed aside. It was picked up by Jiraiya, who sat next to Gaara and grinned.

"Hey Kazekage, I haven't congratulated you on getting such a hottie for a fiancée! Sakura's a real fox! You better watch your back; she can whip anyone into shape when she needs to, even the untouchable Kazekage!" He laughed rather obnoxiously and grinned at Gaara who controlled himself as he stared at the perverted old man who had just referred to his fiancée as a fox.

Jiraiya continued on his alcohol induced congratulatory trip by pulling out a pack of books that made Kakashi, who was standing nearby, chuckle and shake his head. Gaara looked at the title of the top book and immediately knew what they were.

 _"Sakura is not going to like this if she sees it."_ He attempted to hide his slight unease with a nod towards the beaming Sage. "Thank you Jiraiya-sama."

He looked at Jiraiya who grinned and waved off his thanks with one hand. "Don't worry about it! You are the type of guy who will enjoy the beauty of my work. Don't read it all in one night!" He laughed loudly before downing a drink and adding, "Oh and I recommend page 47, first book, it is rather interesting." Before finally walking away.

Gaara put the books in his pouch with a sigh and hung it near the door alongside his gourd before going to find his brother who was sitting at a table and talking and laughing with Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto and Choji. He sat next to Kankuro and looked at Naruto who smiled and beamed at him.

"So having fun yet Gaara?" He asked and Gaara gave a slight nod.

"It's nice, thank you all." Naruto beamed and Kankuro nodded; both completely ignorant of his previous encounter. He was flattered that they had set something up for him and was grateful to have such good friends, but he had never been fond of social gatherings.

"I said he'd like it. But this is only the first part." Kankuro beamed as Gaara looked at Shikamaru for clarification but the shadow nin merely smirked and shook his head.

"Isn't the second part a little late?" Naruto asked Kiba who nodded in return.

"It's to be expected though, it takes forever." Choji nodded. Gaara was a bit confused but decided to wait and see what it was while the people around the club talked and laughed together. Every once in a while someone would stop and congratulate him before walking away again. It was a constant fluctuation of saying 'thank you' and making small talk and Gaara wasn't entirely at ease with the situation. It felt almost too much like a political meeting to the red head who was still pushing away the drinks set in front of him.

The girls were finished with their massages and were back in the room where a maid brought in a bunch of dress bags. Sakura looked confused until Ino opened a bag and Sakura saw the red dress she bought on the mission with a pair of black lacey lingerie that made her pale.

"Ino! I've told you not to raid my closet!" Ino waved her off.

"As if I would listen. Besides, I haven't ever seen a dress that you've owned look as good as that one." She gestured to the red dress before turning to pull her own dress out of the garment bag.

Ino had a halter-top dress that was a lovely purple color and reached her knees. It was simple but fit her perfectly. The back of the dress was open and fit with her usual style in a way that made her seem even more elegant. Sakura knew immediately that it was a brand new dress by the way Ino was handling it.

Tenten had a simple off-white dress with red accents that had the same top style as her regular style but continued into a dress that flared out gently and ended around her knees. The back had a small circle that was cut out of it.

Hinata's dress was a dark blue dress that was ankle length and more conservative. Hers had no slits in it and flared a bit at the bottom. The top had off the shoulder long sleeves and a tie around the back. It was incredibly beautiful and classy.

Temari's dress was a pale purple and had off the shoulder short straps and a low neckline that had fishnet mesh sewn into it. The dress itself looked much like her normal outfit and reached to her knees. It also had a dark red sash around the waist that hung lopsided on the dress.

Tsunade didn't have a dress but didn't seem to mind. Neither did Kurenai who wore her usual dress and Shizune who did the same.

The girls all pushed Sakura behind a screen with the lacey lingerie and the red dress. Sakura grudgingly put them on and stepped out as the other girls changed into their dresses.

Tsunade and Kurenai pulled Sakura into a chair mumbling about how her hair always looked the same before helping her curl her hair so it hung nicely just below her jawline . It was still short and barely reached her shoulders but it looked lovely on her.

The other girls looked just as good, approving of her look with nods and murmurs before shoving her towards the door to grab their coats before rushing out the door and down the road to a small club on the far side of Konoha.

Sakura looked at them quizzically as she heard laughter from inside and Tsunade took all of the girls coats before shoving them through the door making Sakura stumble inside first as Tsunade loudly proclaimed;

"The girls have arrived!" Sakura blinked as music flared up and she caught sight of all of the men looking at her along with the other males that had turned around and upon seeing the girls, let their jaws drop open. Sakura and Hinata blushed furiously and hid behind Temari and Ino who seemed to be oblivious to the obvious stares of the men inside. Sakura's eyes found Gaara from across the room and immediately she felt better. Somewhere in her mind she registered that he was probably as surprised as she was.

The men hollered and grinned as Temari pulled Sakura over to Gaara's table where she was pushed into the booth next to Gaara as Temari smiled at Shikamaru and he reluctantly got up to go talk to her. Choji got up and left to go find Ino, who had disappeared into a throng of people after Kotetsu called her over and Kiba and Naruto merely sat there staring at Sakura who was still slightly uncomfortable with all of the attention.

"Is this new?" Gaara gestured to her outfit, trying to make Sakura more comfortable as well as taking in the wonderful sight before him. She nodded and he gave a nod of approval in return. "I like it."

Kiba, who had regained a bit of his senses now that the initial shock of attractive girls had slightly worn off, was staring at Sakura and noticed a bright red mark on her neck that he hadn't seen before. He looked at it a bit more closely, leaning in ever so slightly before smirking and giving Gaara a sly toothy grin. Naruto noticed it as well but had no idea what it was at first.

"Sakura-chan what's on your neck?" Sakura blinked at him slowly as Gaara realized that her dress did indeed show off the bright red kanji on her neck.

"A mark Naruto." She stared at the blonde as Naruto looked at her quizzically. Kiba leaned over to explain it to him as Gaara quickly stood up and grabbed Sakura's hand, towing her to the dance floor. He grasped her waist and her other hand and she did the same leaning against his chest for a moment and sighing, knowing that he had just saved her from the cluelessness of her friend. "Thank you Gaara." He smiled down at her and spun her around in a quick circle.

"My pleasure Haruno." She rolled her eyes but was inwardly happy that he was being so casual. She knew he was using her last name tonight simply because it was the last time that she would be Haruno.

They danced slowly to the song until a fast paced one came on. They then resorted to shuffling to the music along with everyone else. Sakura moved her shoulders side to side with her eyes closed as Gaara took in every movement that she made with an air of appreciation tinged with a heavy attraction.

Shukaku laughed in his head and he figured it was him making him feel like that. He shut him out and continued to shuffle next to Sakura and her beautiful red dress. He really did love that dress. Rather, he loved seeing Sakura in that dress.

A possessive feeling swept over him and he smirked and grabbed Sakura around the waist, spinning her in a circle and making her laugh as he hauled her close to him. He took her hand in his as they shuffled across the floor, feeling the need to stay close to her as they danced. The eyes of the men in the room were causing him to show that the incredible woman in his arms was his and his alone, even though rationally he knew that no one would dare challenge him.

Ino and Choji were dancing and laughing nearby and Sakura couldn't help but wonder if her friend did indeed like the rosy cheeked boy more than she let on. Temari and Shikamaru were also dancing nearby, if the shuffling movements of the brunette could in fact be considered dancing.

Sakura looked back at Gaara as a sudden thought popped into her head. Without a word, she pulled him off the dance floor and over to a table by themselves causing Gaara to furrow his brow. "Sakura is there something on your mind?" He asked as she watched the other people dancing rather distractedly.

She turned to him and began walking over to the door. "It's too loud in here." She stated, he nodded in understanding and followed her as they snuck outside to stand in the cold air. Gaara draped a coat over her shoulders which prompted a small smile.

"Now what is it Sakura?" He gave her a serious look, wondering if she was, in any way, not ready for their wedding in the morning.

"I wanted to tell you something I haven't told anyone besides Tsunade-sama." Gaara looked a little confused but nodded. "You should understand more than anyone. Not only because you're my fiancé, but because, in a way, you have a similar trait. Mine's different though. By a lot."

"Sakura you know you can tell me anything and it won't make a difference. If you are worried that telling me will make me not want to marry you, you are completely wrong." She nodded. She didn't need to tell him but part of her wanted to, just to be completely open with him.

"I have an Inner self. She's like me but voices things I can't and is a completely split personality. I can't explain it any better than that. Tsunade-sama says that this inner might actually be a result of a kekai genkai that my family had. When Ino tried to get into my head during the Chunin exams I was able to force her out. Well not really me but Inner forced her out and created a barrier in my mind so that she couldn't get through. It hurt Ino. Inner had the ability to hurt Ino and force her out of my head. I know if sounds like nothing but, well I thought you should know." She blushed and looked down at the ground. Gaara lifted her chin up and looked her in the eyes.

"Sakura, you shouldn't have been worried about my reaction. You know I understand. But more importantly, I want you to know that you can tell me anything." Sakura nodded as Gaara pulled her closer and kissed her softly. When he pulled back he heard her sigh contently and took her hand in his with a small smile. "Now let's head back in before someone notices we are gone." She nodded as they slipped back into the loud club, feeling like there was now nothing that she was hiding from him.

Nobody had noticed their absence and the party continued without incident until a drunken Tsunade said they all needed their beauty sleep and everyone started leaving. Sakura was walked home by Ino and Tenten who insisted she must travel with them and not Gaara. He had reluctantly agreed to this and had left ahead of them.

Tenten and Ino said goodbye to her and told her they'd be over at eight the next morning to prepare her for the wedding. Sakura nodded and sighed, thinking how fast time had gone. She walked inside and had barely gotten her coat off before she was grabbed by Gaara. This made her yelp and then laugh as he carried her to her room and laid her on the bed before leaning over and kissing her.

"Temari will castrate you if she catches you in here. Shikamaru's walking her home and they should be here soon." She warned him. He smirked and growled lightly as he traced his kisses down her neck before sucking sharply on her mark. Sakura sucked in her breath and he looked up at her with an amused smile.

"I'll leave, for now." Sakura stared up at him and traced a hand over his cheek.

"Alright. But you really have to go now, this wedding might not be political but the next one is so I want to enjoy tomorrow, just us and our friends." He said nothing but instead leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Politics don't concern me in this but I will respect your wishes. Sleep well." She rolled her eyes and kissed him once more.

"You too, actually sleep tonight if you can Gaara." He stared at her and for a moment Sakura wondered if he was actually going to leave when he stood and left the room just as Temari walked down the hallway. She stopped at Sakura's room and walked over to her before flopping onto the bed.

"I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow, to my little brother. I don't care what Ino says we are all going to help you get ready!" Sakura laughed as Temari called goodnight to her before vacating her room and walking down the hallway.

Sakura took off her red dress and folded it into her bag before looking around her room. The past few days had consisted of her packing things she wanted to bring to Suna. The room now seemed bare since it had been stripped of its knickknacks, pictures, clothing, and any other little things Sakura decided to take with her. She sighed and looked at the three large scrolls now resting on her dresser.

Her pajamas were in the bag of clothing she hadn't sealed and she pulled them out along with a pair of white lingerie that was luckily one of the more conservative pairs. Ino had found the stash of standard underwear and had sealed them all in a scroll that she insisted Sakura was not to open until after she had been married. Sakura had managed to snag a few comfortable pairs for travel but the rest had been sealed in the clothing scroll.

The lingerie panties she had pulled out had lace around the edges and the bra had lace around the edges as well. She threw them on her dresser and pulled on the pajamas.

She yawned and walked over to the bed flopping onto it in exhaustion. Sakura was tired but nervous at the same time. She stared into her empty closet across from her bed. The one thing left in the closet was a big white bag. She sighed and rolled over to look at the blank wall across from her before closing her eyes and willing herself to fall asleep. She needed her rest and drifted off into a familiar place.

_Inner Sakura was sitting next to her when she opened her eyes and they were sitting on a familiar hill that Sakura recognized as the hill she and Ino used to gather flowers on. It was warm and there was only a slight breeze making it beautiful and comfortable. Inner didn't say anything at first she merely sat there and looked at Sakura._

End of Chapter 42


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weddings are fun, travel is even more fun.

_"Umm any particular reason why you're staring at me?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow at Inner._

**_"Well you were just sitting there and I thought you were going to go into some rant or something. You usually end up doing that anyways so I thought we'd get it over with early on."_ ** _Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at Inner._

_"Gee thanks for your listening support." She sighed as Inner stared at her pointedly. Sakura rolled her eyes and then spoke again. "So I'm getting married tomorrow and I have to say I'm a little nervous." Inner snorted and Sakura glared a little._

**_"No Sakura, I thought you were going cliff diving. I know you're getting married and I'd have thought you'd gone insane if you weren't worried. Just go with it. I mean you're in love with him right?"_ ** _Sakura nodded **. "Well then, go get married! Become the Kazekage's wife and run the hospital. I'm going to enjoy watching you yell at those idiots that they have running the hospital now. You got everything off your chest to him tonight and you have nothing to worry about."** Sakura sighed and laid back on the ground staring up at the clouds in her dream._

_"Do you think I'm ready?" Inner looked at her and raised an eyebrow._

**_"For what? Marriage?"_ ** _Sakura shook her head._

_"No not marriage per se but just being a wife. The Kazekage's wife. Being someone people look up to and someone running a hospital. All of that is a lot of pressure by itself but then add in keeping up with a marriage." Inner chuckled, surprising Sakura as she looked over at her other personality._

**_"Sakura, if you didn't think you could do these things you would have backed out a long time ago or said no to him. But you didn't and you can do those things because you're you. You've become someone people already do look up to and you have shown you are more than capable of balancing a relationship and work. The two of you are so much of an impossible couple to begin with that this will be a walk in the park. As much as I hate to admit it I really don't help all that much. You could survive without me and you practically do."_ ** _Sakura nodded making Inner cross her arms angrily. **"Hey I never said you could rub it in!"** She scowled angrily making Sakura laugh._

_"Inner you can sure change the mood. Hey don't be a stranger when I get married but butt out sometimes." Inner rolled her eyes as Sakura laughed again._

**_"Sakura I'm you and you're me, I can't be a stranger, I live inside your head."_ ** _Sakura looked at her with an odd look and shook her head._

_"Bad thought and I'm going to pretend that doesn't sound creepy and a complete invasion of my privacy." Inner grinned._

**_"You have no privacy with me."_ ** _Sakura paled and Inner laughed._

_"I hope that's not true." Inner shrugged._

**_"You'll never know."_ ** _She stuck out her tongue and Sakura sighed exasperated._

_"You are impossible to live with." Inner grinned and Sakura merely smiled. She felt herself leaving the dream as something or someone splashed cold water on her face._

"Sakura get up!" Ino's voice was definitely not what Sakura had expected to hear as cold water was splashed on her. She shot up into bed spluttering and coughing as she turned on the blonde with a slightly deranged expression.

"What was THAT for?! Can you not wake me up like a normal person?!" Sakura shouted, glaring at the blonde who simply crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry Sakura but time is of the essence. I can't take you seriously when your hair is like that." Temari snickered and Tenten laughed as the pinkette reached her hand up to feel the tangled mass of hair on her head making her groan.

"Well now I'm up, I'm soaked to the bone, and my hair is in a huge knot." Ino smiled as Sakura sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her eyes. She had barely stood up, already planning to trudge to the bathroom, when she was assaulted by Temari, Tenten, and Ino.

"We've got a bath ready for you and Tenten said she'll wash your hair while Hinata gets the blow dryer and the dress ready. Temari can help Tenten." Sakura looked at them confused but only had time to yelp in protest as Ino pulled her pajama top over her head and then swiftly pulled down her pajama pants leaving her shivering in her underwear which she discarded as she entered the bathroom.

She walked over to the tub as the girls prepared things on the counter before she stepped into the warm bubble filed bath. As Ino finished preparing the counter space, Tenten and Temari walked over to the tub and told Sakura to dunk her head. She did as she was told and as soon as she had flipped her hair back, Tenten poured cherry scented shampoo in her hair and began to massage it into a bubbly mop.

Temari poured a pitcher of water over her head, washing out the shampoo before she poured in conditioner and repeated the process. Ino was busy fixing the dress on Sakura's bed as Sakura was forced to let Tenten and Temari pull her hair back with a comb while it was still wet, making her cringe as they struggled to get the knots out.

Eventually, with much pulling and fuss, Sakura's hair was effectively knot free. She stood up in the bath as Tenten wrapped a towel around her. She dried off with another one as Temari dried her hair. The girls then brought her over to a chair in front of her mirror and started blow drying her hair, a feat that usually left Sakura looking like she had been caught in a hurricane.

Ino was talking to Hinata about the makeup and they decided to do a light makeup that showed off her features but let her natural beauty take over.

"Oh do a light pink eye shadow! Not too much blush, just a little. No eye liner and just a tiny bit of mascara. Oh and maybe just some lip gloss not lip stick." Ino rambled off a list she had compiled in her head as Hinata nodded.

"Keep it natural." She added as Tenten and Temari turned off the blow dryer.

"Oh a bun would be so nice with the dress!" Temari said as Tenten played with her hair and brushed it again.

"That's a great idea! We can use the cherry blossom pins for the veil as well!" Temari nodded enthusiastically as they heard a knock on the door.

"If it's a girl you can come in! If it's a boy, get out!" Ino called as they heard the door open.

"Sakura, I wanted to give you something of mine. I guess you can consider it your 'something old.'" Tsunade walked into the bathroom and handed a wide-eyed Sakura a package as Ino finished with her mascara and moved to start on her eye shadow. Sakura smiled at her and Tsunade watched her with a proud look on her features as Ino applied the eyes shadow to Sakura's closed lids. "I still can't believe you're getting married Sakura." She shook her head as the girls all murmured their agreement. Tenten had finished with Sakura's hair and Hinata was almost done with her lip gloss as Ino finished with her eyes. She blinked as she opened her eyes and looked in the mirror.

"Oh Sakura you look beautiful! Now we have to get you in your dress!" Ino declared, clapping her hands together as they rushed Sakura into her room. Ino picked up the dress and carefully undid the zipper at the back before letting Sakura pull on her underwear. She was wearing the white lingerie she had laid out the night before and blushed as Ino grinned at her before having her step into the dress. She carefully put it on as Tsunade zipped up the zipper. She was wearing her Hokage robes that she so hated but didn't seem to care as much as she usually did as she smiled and looked at Sakura. Hinata tied the sash in a bow and Ino and Temari attached her veil with the cherry blossom clips.

"Sakura you look amazing!" Temari gushed and the girls all agreed as Sakura sat on the bed and picked up the package Tsunade gave her. She opened it and gasped when she pulled out a pair of earrings made of crystal that were a light pink color and caught the light in prisms as they dangled. She turned to her adoptive mother and stood up, immediately hugging her.

"They are beautiful! Thank you." Tsunade smiled.

"They were my mother's and she gave them to me. Pink was never my color and I never wore them. I thought if I ever had a child I'd give them to her so now they're yours." Sakura smiled and put them in as Temari grinned and handed Sakura a box with a ribbon on top.

"You have something old, so now here's something new." She smirked as Sakura looked at her with a questioning expression. She opened the box and shook her head when she saw the lacey garter. Hinata blushed as Ino cackled loudly. Sakura slid the garter on her leg and quickly covered it with the dress, shaking her head at Ino.

"Well now we need something blue and I have just the thing!" Ino ran out of the room and returned with a bouquet of blue and white flowers. Sakura smiled and took them before standing up. She looked over in the mirror, gazing in wonderment at the beautiful woman staring back at her.

The girls all smiled at her and hugged her before going to get ready themselves, pulling their bridesmaid dresses out from where they had hung them in the closet. They were long sleeved and reached the ground but were simple and had a few ruffles on the front. Sakura and Tsunade waited for the girls to get dressed and ready in the bathroom as Sakura checked the time on her alarm clock.

"Tsunade-sama, what time is the wedding?" Tsunade looked at her and smiled.

"It is at twelve so we have an hour. Here, I'll get you some food." She smiled and stood up before going to the kitchen and returning with some bread and jam. Sakura smiled at her and took it before eating it carefully without getting a single drop on her dress.

The girls all finished getting ready and had on light blue eye shadow and blue bouquets with their hair done up their usual ways. She smiled as Tsunade stood up and looked at them. "Shizune should have the carriage out front by now." They nodded and walked to the door talking to Sakura. They all got into the carriage and it drove off towards the cherry blossom clearing. Sakura looked at the girls and furrowed her brow.

"Wait where are the boys?" The girls grinned.

"They should already be there. We kicked them out this morning and they all went to Kiba's house to get ready." Ino replied as Sakura nodded. It was cold out but none of the girls minded because they had their chakra circulating to keep them warm. It wasn't snowing but apparently it had the night before because a new coat of snow lay on the ground. Sakura frowned a little at the sight and Ino immediately gave her a reassuring smile.

"Relax Sakura; we have it taken care of." She nodded and the carriage pulled up to the path leading to the cherry blossom clearing. Sakura took deep breaths as Tsunade hugged her and left to go prepare the ceremony. Ino and the girls helped her out of the carriage and led her over to a small gazebo that had been placed outside of the cherry blossom clearing with walls around it to hide Sakura from everyone that was arriving. Sakura sank into the seat in the gazebo and took short breaths, trying to calm herself. Hinata saw her nervousness and sat next to her. She smiled at Sakura and pointed to the necklace that Sakura wore.

"That's very pretty Sakura. How does the sand swirl like that?" She asked her softly. Sakura blinked and looked down at the necklace before smiling.

"Gaara put some of his chakra into it and it keeps the sand swirling. It swirls faster when he's around." Hinata nodded and Sakura hugged the timid girl making her rather surprised. She patted her pink haired friend's back and smiled as she pulled away. "Thank you Hinata, I needed that." The girl nodded as Kakashi knocked on the door to the gazebo. Ino opened it and he looked at Sakura before rubbing his neck and looking her over.

"You look great Sakura." He stated as Sakura smiled at her former Sensei and blushed a bit. "Somehow I knew you'd be the blushing bride." He said and Sakura gave him a playful glare. Ino suddenly jumped up from her seat on the gazebo and looked at the other girls.

"Well, we have to go get ready, you'll be fine Sakura. Kakashi if you let her fall we'll all reap our revenge." The girls all nodded before hugging Sakura and leaving the gazebo. Sakura took a shuddering breath and Kakashi held out his arm for her. She looped her own arm around his and held onto her bouquet with a firm grip.

"Nervous?" He whispered as he led her out of the gazebo and behind the bridesmaids. She nodded and he gave her his usual eye crinkle smile. "Don't be, you'll be fine."

Ino walked through the curtain of hanging strips of white paper on the arch leading to the long aisle.

Sakura looked around and saw that the white ribbon hung around all of the trees and had white snowflake decorations hanging down from them. She smiled and moved up in the line as Tenten, the last bridesmaid walked out.

A few minutes before the girls had arrived, the Kazekage stood in front of the clearing talking to people who wanted to meet him. He was being very nice but couldn't help being a bit guarded, he had too much to think about at the moment to be invested in small talk.

Kiba and the other groomsmen were laughing and talking to their families as each family came over to talk to him. He nodded to him or her and gave each person a small closed mouth smile. They then took their seats and Gaara and the groomsmen walked up to the stage in the front of the cherry blossom clearing under a tree that had been draped in white ribbon and had snowflakes hanging off it. There was a white arch behind them where Tsunade now stood after having walked up from behind them cursing the clunky robes the whole way.

Kankuro was the best man and stood proudly behind Gaara, giving his brother reassuring looks every few minutes. Behind him stood Naruto, Shikamaru, and lastly Kiba and Akamaru.

"She's here, she looks about as nervous as you do." Tsunade whispered to him and he smiled a little. He wasn't nervous, more like out of his comfort zone, but he knew she was most likely unused to the attention. He looked out into the crowd of people and saw the Sensei, minus Kakashi, sitting in the front row beside Shino, Choji, Neji, and Lee. Jiraiya sat in the front row next to Lee and grinned at Gaara, giving him thumbs up. He nodded to him and Gaara skimmed the rest of the crowd seeing the Rookie Nine's families and in the second row Kai, Kisho, Iori, Kaguri, Iori's wife, May-rin and her grandmother. He smiled at them and they smiled back.

Suddenly, music filled the clearing and Ino walked out in her light blue bridesmaid dress holding a white bouquet. He watched as she got up to the stage and winked at him. Temari followed behind her, then Hinata. Finally Tenten walked out and up to the stage as the music changed. Gaara stood looking down the long aisle as everyone stood for Sakura.

Behind the curtain at the end of the aisle Sakura heard the music change and gripped Kakashi's arm a little tighter. She had been on countless high risk missions, fought S rank shinobi, and performed the most high risk of operations but this was where she felt the most nervous. Kakashi gave her hand a steady squeeze before moving forwards as Sakura and he stepped out through the curtain and onto the white carpet laid over the platform that she stepped onto.

The first thing she noticed was the lattice of ribbon hanging over the clearing. It had snowflakes hanging from it and on every cherry blossom tree there were blue and white flowers in flower holders. It was beautiful and as Sakura took her first few steps forward she looked up and caught the face of a her future husband standing in front of Tsunade on the stage. Her breath caught as she saw his turquoise eyes staring at her with a steady and intense gaze. She caught her breath once more and walked up the aisle with Kakashi's arm guiding her with a firm grip.

She vaguely registered that all of her friends were staring at her and made a mental note of each smiling face. On the stage the groomsmen were stunned as the beautiful woman with the veil in front of her face slowly moved towards them.

She looked gorgeous in the dress and Gaara's thoughts filled only with her. She was more beautiful then he thought possible. Her dress hugged her figure but was elegant and simple and fit her perfectly. Around her neck hung the necklace he gave her which sent his pride soaring.

She approached the stage and Kakashi took her hand before leading her up the three steps and placing her small pale hand into Gaara's larger one before he stepped off the stage and took his seat next to the other Sensei. Gaara looked at Sakura and lifted her veil off her face before he took her hands and Tsunade told everyone to please be seated. Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of him and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the union not only between this man and this woman, but also between two great nations." She looked at Sakura and Gaara and smiled. "Sabaku no Gaara, you may say your vows." Gaara nodded and looked at Sakura before speaking clearly.

"Haruno Sakura I promise to stand by you no matter what happens. In times of war and in times of peace I promise to protect you and lend you my strength as you lend me yours. I promise to be your confidant and listen to your ideas. I promise to let you lean on me when you need support as I will lean on you, in this way I promise to be someone you can trust and talk to." He paused for a moment as Sakura smiled at him gently. "Though we have known each other for a relatively short time, I feel like we have known each other for an eternity. We have both changed from when we first met. We have grown stronger in our own ways and will grow stronger still together. When I look at you I see someone who has been through life and understands it. I also see someone who loves as deeply as she can and knows that I return that love. We were both drawn together by something out of our control, a true bond between us that had formed through dire situations as well as times of peace. I promise you my life and give my heart to you alone. This is why I promise to be your husband." Sakura smiled and Tsunade turned to Sakura who's gaze had not once wavered from Gaara's.

"Haruno Sakura you may say your vows." Sakura nodded and began t speak.

"Sabaku no Gaara I promise to never leave your side. When we are apart I will be with you in spirit and when we are together no force will tear us apart. I will help you when you need it and in return I will accept your help when I need it. I promise to listen to you and understand you. I will be someone that you can confide in as I will confide in you. You are a part of me that cannot be replaced and I feel as if you have been there always. I have changed and grown and know that you have as well. We have both become stronger and will continue to become stronger with each other. We will push each other to our goals and help each other achieve them. I see a man in front of me that I can never part with and will never want to part with. The bond between us is strong and will no doubt get stronger. I promise to be there when you are hurt to heal you and I know you will be there for me as well. I know this is how it should always have been and will now always be. This is why I promise to be your wife." She smiled broadly at him, having listened to the single longest statement she had ever heard him say to her with a soaring heart and the knowledge that he spoke only to her.

Tsunade found her voice again before continuing rather loudly.

"Do you, Sabaku no Gaara, take Haruno Sakura to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Gaara nodded decidedly.

"I do." He declared, slipping the ring he had in his hand onto Sakura's finger. It was her engagement ring now turned wedding ring she had taken off the night before, it felt good to have it back on her finger. Tsunade turned to Sakura.

"And do you, Haruno Sakura, take Sabaku no Gaara to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Sakura grinned.

"I do." She declared, sliding the gold band in her hand onto his finger. At this point the audience was in tears as Ino wiped a tear off of her face and forced herself not to cry. Telling herself silently that it would ruin her makeup.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." Gaara put his hands on both sides of Sakura's face before leaning in and capturing her lips in a soft but passionate kiss. He pulled back and smiled at her as the crowd stood up applauding and cheering for them.

Sakura laughed and took his hand, turning to face their friends in the crowd. They stepped off the stage and walked down the aisle as Gaara looked down at the woman he had just pledged his life to. They walked through the arch of ribbons and Gaara turned to her before again. The guests and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked through the arch after them and smiled at them as they stood in front of the carriage.

"Are you ready Sabaku no Sakura?" She smiled and he wrapped his arm around her back.

"Yes I am ready." He helped her into the carriage before climbing in herself. She leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Everyone cheered as Ino and the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen got into a carriage behind them. The guests soon got into their carriages as Sakura looked back at everyone as their carriage moved. Gaara looked down at Sakura and pulled her close to him.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to steal you away from everyone when I saw you walk down the aisle." He growled lightly and leaned forwards to kiss her neck as she sighed.

"It seems whenever I wear a dress you seem to get all emotional." He looked at her with a piercing gaze.

"That's because it is you wearing them." She laughed and he smiled at her before snaking his arm around her waist and looking at the driver of their carriage. He leaned over and put his lips near her ear. "Why don't we surprise everyone and disappear? I know where we're going." Sakura looked at him and he grinned. "I'm going to have to steal the bride." He murmured as Sakura relished in the display of his lighter side.

"Oh well that is a problem." He looked to her as his sand surrounded them and they disappeared from the carriage. The driver didn't notice, making it so much better when Ino, in the carriage behind them, looked at their carriage and couldn't see the red head or the pinkette's hair anymore. She was a little panicked and turned to Temari who was checking her makeup in a compact mirror to be sure she hadn't smudged it.

"Uh I don't see Gaara or Sakura's hair anymore." Temari looked at their carriage and grinned.

"They probably just leaned back in the seat. Or are making out. Don't worry about it, we're almost to the reception."

"I can't wait to dance with my little sis. She'll be teased for the rest of her life now that she's my sis. I think I'll start tonight." Kankuro grinned proudly and Ino rolled her eyes. Naruto rubbed his neck as he leaned back in the seat, having adjusted his bowtie a whopping ten times since they had sat down in the carriage.

"It's sure going to be different without Sakura-chan here." He said in a rather melancholy tone.

"Yeah but she'll come back with Gaara when they have meetings and for the Chunin and Jonin Exams every year that we host them." Kiba attempted to cheer up the blonde whose mood kept fluctuating from elation to melancholy and back at an alarming rate.

"Gaara?" Sakura called, peering around a post in the large tent looking for her husband who had disappeared when she bent down to fix her train. She walked into the tent and felt two large arms encircle her waist making her smile.

"Our guests are almost here, we should go greet them." He purred into her ear making her knees go weak.

"We definitely should." He wrapped his arm around her waist to the front of the tent before standing outside holding Sakura to his side. In the carriage Ino and the others saw two figures standing in front of the tent. One with red hair and one with pink.

"Are you kidding me? How the heck did they get there?" Ino growled, her eye twitching. Temari and the others laughed as their carriage pulled up to the tent on the hill. There stood a slightly smirking Gaara and a smiling Sakura. Ino was the first out of the carriage and rushed over to them before looking at Sakura. "How?" She asked and Sakura looked at Gaara who merely smirked.

"Sand transportation has its perks." He stated simply before looking back at the blonde who gave an exasperated shake of her head before shooting a look at Sakura.

"Come on you two, no more disappearing, I have a schedule." She shuffled Sakura along as Gaara took her hand and followed her inside. Ino ushered them to a circular table near the front of the room where they sat down. There was a large wooden stage on the floor and Sakura assumed it was for dancing. She smiled and sat down in her chair next to Gaara who still held her hand. The guests started filing in and looked at Sakura and Gaara who were now out of their seats and walking around talking to everyone. Iori's wife spotted them and made her way over to them, a broad smile on her face.

"I can't believe you two were in my shop a few weeks ago pretending to be a married couple and now here you are!" She smiled and Sakura looked up at Gaara who looked at them with appreciation.

"I owe you so much. Sakura and I have a gift for you and your village." Iori's wife shook her head but Gaara stopped her by holding his hand up. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait for it until after the wedding speech in Suna but I wish for you to know that we will be showing you our appreciation." Sakura looked up at him a bit confused.

"I thought we'd agreed on Konoha?"

"I've thought about it and Suna is the public wedding it will attract much more attention. I've told Tsunade and she thought it was a great idea." Sakura smiled and nodded. Iori's wife looked at them and clapped her hands together.

"Oh you two are so perfect for each other! We'll be sure to watch the wedding in Suna as well." Sakura thanked them and they walked away to be replaced by Baki and the other Sensei.

"Sakura, Gaara I'm so happy for you both!" Kurenai gushed, hugging Sakura and smiling at them both, Mirai having been handed off to Shizune for the moment. Sakura would have loved to see the toddler as well had Gai not moved forwards to congratulate them.

Kakashi looked at Sakura who immediately moved forwards and caught Kakashi off guard by enveloping him in a hug. He put his arms carefully around her and looked at Kurenai for help. The female sensei was too busy cooing over Mirai to notice and Kakashi sighed as he released his hold on his favorite former student. Sakura let go of him and turned to hug Baki as well completely catching him off guard as well as all of the others who stared at the girl as if she was insane. Baki froze in place as the pink haired girl let go of him and smiled a genuine smile at him before walking back to her husband who had been just as frozen as Baki when she hugged him. Kakashi looked at Sakura and she smiled at him.

"Kakashi-sensei thank you so much." He looked confused and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, for what exactly?" Sakura smiled.

"For giving me away. You've supported me and Naruto as well ever since we were Genin even if the boys demanded more attention back then. You have gotten our little team through a lot." He gave her his standard eye crinkle and patted her arm before walking away with Kurenai, Mirai and Gai, leaving Baki blinking at Sakura.

"I'm happy for both of you and I hope you enjoy your life together. Gaara you've become a fine man and Sakura a very strong Kunoichi." He gave her a small nod and shook Gaara's hand as Tsunade and Shizune walked up next to him.

"Yeah, yeah thank me for the strength later." Tsunade added with a smile as Sakura rolled her eyes at her.

"Shishou, thank you." Sakura smiled, looking into her hazel eyes. She nodded before grabbing her into a hug that Sakura returned with her arms wrapped around her Shishou's taller figure.

"Sakura I would have done it all even if you weren't my new daughter." She smiled and Sakura nodded before letting go of Tsunade as she turned to Gaara. "Take care of my daughter Kazekage Gaara or you'll have a face full of fist and find yourself being digested by a slug. Not to mention a war on your hands from all of Konoha. We love our pink haired medic very much." She glared at him until he nodded, she then smiled and told them to enjoy the party before walking away to go pester Kakashi. Shizune congratulated them and then Jiraiya who soon found himself being dragged away by his ear thanks to a very miffed Tsunade who thought the toad sage was getting much too close to her now married apprentice. Then, as if on cue, Sakura was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug by a certain blonde haired ninja.

"Sakura-chan! I can't believe you really got married! We're going to miss you so much Sakura-chan! Promise you'll visit soon! No, I'll come to Suna! I'll get Gran-I mean Tsunade to let me go on a mission there for a couple of weeks or something." He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Idiot, I'll miss you too." She teased him fondly, hugging him once more before shoving him off towards Kakashi who nodded to Sakura.

Shino and Neji were next, both giving their rather stiff congratulations before walking away. They always were a bit more reserved. Ino and the girls squealed and hugged her with a few tears on their faces all except for Temari who hung back until the girls moved on. Then Kankuro enveloped her in a tight hug with a grin stretching across his face. Temari pushed him out of the way, pulling Sakura into another tight hug before smiling broadly at her.

"You are going to be so spoiled by us Sakura." Temari proclaimed, shaking her head fondly. Sakura merely laughed.

"I don't doubt it!" She grinned as she saw the faces of Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Akamaru hanging back a little. She turned to her new sister-in-law and smiled. "Sorry Temari, but I still haven't seen that group yet, I'll catch up in a bit." She motioned to the group of groomsmen, to which Temari nodded.

"I'll see you later sis." She grinned and walked off with a smile as Sakura walked over to the group with Gaara in tow. Kiba was the first to smile at them, holding out his hand to shake both of theirs.

"Congratulations you guys! It was a great ceremony! I'll be sure to watch the Suna one as well! It's just crazy to think you guys were the first to get married."He shook his head at the pair as they both gave him knowing smiles. It was hard for them to believe as well.

"In our line of work, the unexpected is usually the norm." Sakura pointed out. She then hugged Choji who congratulated them both, shaking Gaara's hand as Sakura moved to hug Shikamaru who held onto her tightly.

"Hey Gaara, take care of her alright, don't let her work too hard. Remember she can break you into pieces even with your sand. I'm happy for you both and if you ever need help; send word to Konoha and we'll come at once." Gaara nodded giving him a firm handshake before they finally went to sit down.

Sakura picked up a glass of champagne that she sipped as Shikamaru's parents offered their congratulations before setting off to find their son. She put the champagne on the table and smiled at Gaara before leaning over and kissing him lightly on the cheek, causing him to turn and look at her again.

"I can't believe we're married." She whispered as Gaara gave her a smile.

"I am sure I will get used to it very quickly, as you said, in our line of work good things can't be overlooked." He took Sakura's hand in his just as they all heard tapping on the side of a glass and looked up to see that Tsunade had moved to the front of the room.

"Would everyone please be seated so we can begin the speeches?" Tsunade's voice called out amongst the people. There was a lot of shuffling before everyone was in a seat and Tsunade began. "Now to get things going, we are going to start with Sakura's former Sensei Kakashi Hatake." There was applause as he picked up the microphone and stood in front of everyone in his usual casual way, with one hand shoved in the pocket of the suit he wore that Sakura knew was his only suit and had been worn only a handful of times before.

"Well as most of you know Sakura was my student back when we had Team 7. Her team was the first, and the only team I have ever taught and will ever teach." He glanced at Sakura who nodded at this before he continued.

"From a young age she had somewhat of a predisposition for helping people. She kept the boys in her team in line and definitely taught them a thing or two about control. Something I wasn't the best at teaching." Some people chuckled, including Tsunade who gave a firm nod to that statement.

"Sakura was always a master at chakra control and was a fast and attentive learner. She was usually the one who kept a level head in any situation except, perhaps, when it came to Naruto's foolishness." Sakura laughed and so did others as Naruto rubbed his neck and gave his usual cheesy grin.

"She was always pushing to be stronger and I realize now that I should have paid more attention to her as she was my only female student." His gaze settled on Sakura for a moment, who gave him a small smile. "But she was so determined that she could and would figure things out that she sought her own path and stubbornly followed it. She was the one who helped force me to remember the good of the people involved when making decisions and not just the objective of the mission. Something that I used to forget. She grew from the girl I saw once in her Academy days taking a back seat to others to someone people look up to. This is something only accomplished by hard work and an amazing amount of skill." Tsunade nodded her approval of this as Kakashi continued.

"Sakura has both of these things along with an amazing brain. She was always one of the top in her class and I am proud to say that she was my student. I couldn't be more proud of the person she grew into if I tried. She has saved her team mates lives on many occasions along with many others including my life more times than I could count. Even her husband has been on the receiving end of Sakura's healing chakra." Gaara looked over at Sakura who blushed slightly as he rubbed his thumb across her hand.

"She truly is an amazing Kunoichi and an equally amazing person. I believe that you are a perfect match for her Kazekage Gaara and I wish you both happiness." He raised his glass and everyone applauded as Sakura smiled fondly at her former sensei. Temari stood up next and walked to the front of the room to give her speech.

"Sakura you and my brother are the perfect pair. Both of you are strong and smart and know what to do in even the toughest situations. You keep people in line and so does he and at the same time you both care for people. You know what it feels like to be different from others and you never treat people differently no matter what is wrong with them as long as they are good at heart. You both are highly skilled shinobi and can hold your own, which all of us have witnessed many times before. You are a couple that can understand each other and at the same time understand everyone else. I have seen you both handle disaster with ease, keeping focused on the goal at hand even when others around you could not. You keep everyone in a calm state while dealing with everything flawlessly and efficiently. I can see that you both have the same goals of keeping people safe and for that; I believe that you are making the world a better place to live in. I am proud to have a sister-in-law and a brother that can work so well together and guide people so well. I wish you both happiness." She smiled and went back to sit next to Shikamaru as Kankuro took the microphone saying much of the same things Temari said but adding a few lines of his own.

"I do have to mention that you both can sense things about each other without saying a word. It's actually kind of creepy and you both don't notice that you do it but it happens _all the time_." Everyone laughed and Kankuro grinned. "I think that you both are going to be very happy and I know that Suna is getting the best medic that there is to offer." He sat back down as Tsunade went up talking about how she met Sakura and trained her before looking proudly at Sakura before stating:

"I'm proud to call you my student and my adopted daughter." Sakura wiped her eyes as Tsunade called a toast. "To Kazekage Gaara and Kazehime Sakura!" She smiled as everyone raised their glasses. Sakura smiled as Ino stepped up to the microphone speaking about how their friendship had progressed and how lucky she was to have found Gaara. Naruto's speech was short and consisted mainly of threats on Gaara if he harmed her, declarations of gratitude and happiness towards them both and a very forceful:

"And I will be sure that you both are always safe, I'll always back you up! Believe it!" This made Sakura fondly roll her eyes at the blonde teammate proudly beaming at her from his place at the front of the room. After Shikamaru's blissfully short speech to them both, Gaara let go of Sakura's hand and made his way to the front of the room. He stood and cleared his throat before looking at Sakura who nodded to him as he started.

"All of you are right in what you said about Sakura. She's undoubtedly an amazing kunoichi as well as being someone I am very lucky to be spending the rest of my life with." Sakura blushed into her drink as he continued.

"When I first met her I knew she was different from anyone else I had met. She was someone who didn't run away from me. She stood and challenged me even though the odds were impossibly stacked against her. I remember thinking that that was the first time in my life that someone had refused to back down from me, no matter how intimidating I am sure I looked at the time." He looked around the room as the people seemed to remember that he was indeed the person they had once been afraid of.

"During the attack at the Chunin Exams she defended her teammates and stood in my way to protect them; something no one else has ever done when facing me. I think that was when I realized that she was different. I knew then that she was incredibly brave and strong, even if she herself didn't see that yet." He made eye contact with Sakura who gave him a sweet smile as he continued.

"After that I only saw her when I came to Konoha on business. The first time I saw her after I became Kazekage, I could hardly believe I was looking at the same person. Naruto told me of her strength and medical prowess and it showed. I respected her for it. My first real contact, and what captured the respect of Suna's people, was when I was captured by the Akatsuki and she and her teammates came to save me. She fought alongside one of our most respected village elders, risking her life while protecting the life of the elder and almost dying in the process all while managing to defeat an S-rank Akatsuki member. She then proceeded to bring our village elder to me where she helped bring me back to life, once again offering her life as forfeit." Sakura locked eyes with Gaara once more, sharing a bit of the moment that he had created in dragging back those memories.

"I owe Sakura so much more than I can repay her. She strengthened my bonds with her through this act of selfless sacrifice and made me realize just how much she had changed from the girl I once saw in the Exams. I would certainly not be alive if it wasn't for her." He paused and looked at Sakura for a moment before continuing.

"She brought me here on Christmas Eve without knowing it. My siblings had help in mentioning Konoha where I immediately thought of her. That is how I made the decision to come and visit her on Christmas never knowing how important she was to become to me. I have never met a kunoichi more level headed and with as much promise as her. She's the only woman I could ever share a bond with and I know that I will always want have that bond with her." He smiled and Sakura wiped away tears that were stinging her eyes. The room burst into applause as Gaara walked back to his seat and kissed Sakura gently. Sakura walked up next smiling at Gaara and looking down before back up at him.

"Gaara was someone who intrigued me from the very first time I saw him. When I defended my teammates after the Chunin Exams I felt as if I was not meant to hurt him, but instead to help him." Sakura paused and smiled at her friends who nodded to her as she continued and turned her gaze back to Gaara.

"He was someone I admired as I worked on gaining my own strength. When I first heard the he had become the Kazekage, I wasn't as surprised as most. I remember Tsunade-sama telling me and I thought 'He deserves to be the Kazekage, he is an amazing person.' I didn't understand how amazing you were until I was put on that mission to retrieve you. Being briefed on the mission was hard to hear, for all of us." She glanced over at Naruto who locked eyes with her for a moment before she turned her gaze back to Gaara once more.

"As we went on the mission, I felt like the only thing I could think about was finding him and making sure that he were alright. I barely knew him, yet I had a bond with him I couldn't explain, and didn't realize that until much later. After the battle when we knew he was going to be alright I had the feeling of relief and pure happiness rush over me in that moment when I knew I didn't have to worry anymore." She paused and smiled at the memory of Chiyo before continuing.

"On Christmas Eve when he came here I was bewildered. I didn't know why he of all people would want to come visit me. As soon as I started talking to him and spending more time with him, I realized that I didn't know why he came here and that he didn't really know why either but I was so glad he did. I fell in love with him quicker than I ever thought possible. We started talking about the future and I remember thinking 'Are we moving too fast?' But in our line of work, having someone who cares for you and wants to be with you is something you can't give up. When he asked me to marry him, I knew that he was the person I wanted to be with and I won't ever let that go. So here's to us!" She smiled at him and raised her glass as people applauded again and she sat back down next to Gaara who kissed her as the guests continued to applaud accompanied by Kiba's wolf whistles.

Ino walked up to the stage next, calming down the group before taking the microphone and smiling broadly at the couple.

"Ok now I know I've been waiting for this all afternoon. Sakura, Gaara, please step to the dance floor." She smiled as Sakura stood up and walked over to the floor, holding Gaara's hand as she attempted to ignore all of the attention. The music filled the air, soft and slow.

Gaara put his hand on Sakura's waist and held her other hand in his own, moving them both slowly. They were only looking at each other and it was as if everyone else disappeared. It wasn't intricate or mind-blowingly amazing, it was simple and pure and perfect for them both.

Gaara twirled her around and she did it effortlessly, every move seeming so natural and so right. Sakura's green eyes searched Gaara's turquoise ones as they danced, both with smiles on their faces the likes of which none of their friends had seen in a very long time.

Everyone was in awe watching them dance and they didn't notice it at all. They were like silk across the dance floor and Temari was shocked her brother could dance at all, much less look like a professional. When the song ended Sakura looked at Gaara and he smiled as everyone applauded before people started joining them in the next dance.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck and he pulled her close as they swayed gently in a small space just enjoying the feel of the other and the closeness between them. They stayed this way for a while until Gaara's voice, low and rumbling, caught Sakura's ears.

"Sakura."

"Yes Gaara?" She hummed back, not moving her head from the place where she had placed it on his chest.

"I know it will be tough leaving Konoha but I'll help with what I can." He waited for her response and heard a light giggle and a sigh.

"Oh Gaara I know you will. I am ready to leave, I really am." He smiled slightly as the second set of songs ended and he pulled her off the dance floor to where the food was. Sakura was in complete bewilderment when she saw the huge cake decorated in snowflakes and swirls of cherry blossoms and sand decorations made of icing. Sakura thanked Hinata who was standing nearby for the wonderful decorations. She nodded at them as Ino called everyone over suddenly.

"Hey cake time everyone!" Sakura grinned at Gaara as Ino went looking for a cake cutter and, as Ino's back was turned, pulled a kunai out of her sash. Gaara smirked and Tsunade leaned towards Kakashi and smiled.

"I'll bet she has a few shuriken on her person as well." Kakashi nodded.

"We trained her well." Sakura held up the kunai as Ino turned around. Gaara put his hand on top of hers and they cut the first two slices of cake each picking one up. Gaara looked at Sakura and she grinned before opening her mouth as he opened his. They both moved the cake towards each other to put it into the others mouth when sand swirled around Gaara and Sakura disappeared into a swirl of petals. Everyone was confused but laughed when Gaara appeared first getting a face full of cake as Sakura appeared behind him as he smashed his cake into her face. Everyone applauded and smiled as the two wiped cake off of each other's faces with towels. Everyone was served cake as music played and some couples danced. Sakura ate her cake next to Gaara who had ignored his, not favoring sweet things.

Finally, after they had both danced with a myriad of people, including Naruto who had nearly taken Sakura's toes out as he whipped her around the dance floor, Sakura and Gaara ran through a barrage of rice towards a spot where they disappeared in a swirl of sand. Gaara let go of Sakura's waist as they appeared on the road to her house scaring a few people walking in the streets. Gaara swept Sakura into his arms bridal style and opened the door to her house before carrying her across the threshold. "We should get changed, Temari and Kankuro are getting changed at the party and so are Tsunade and Shikamaru." Sakura nodded and walked down to her room, pulling out her regular clothing and putting her wedding dress into its own scroll carefully. She picked up her bag of scrolls and walked out to the kitchen where Gaara was waiting. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

"I'm ready." He nodded and took her hand, kissing her forehead before leading her out the door where they jumped onto the roofs towards the gates of Konoha. Temari and Kankuro were there with Tsunade and Shikamaru along with the guests from the wedding and their friends. Ino, Hinata and Tenten ran forward and hugged Sakura with teary eyes and smiles. The boys hugged Sakura and shook hands with Gaara as Naruto rushed forward and caught Sakura in a tight embrace.

"I'll miss you Sakura-chan so visit often alright? I'll visit you as well." She smiled and hugged him back.

"I'll miss you too Naruto, I'll visit you when I can, you're always welcome in Suna." She smiled and he let go as everyone waved and the group set off. They had ANBU trailing them in case of an emergency but they were far away so as not to draw attention to the group. Sakura smiled at Gaara and he squeezed her hand before lifting her up on his sand and looking at the group.

"We'll go ahead, the village will expect us early and it's safer this way." They nodded and Gaara held onto Sakura's waist as they moved swiftly towards Suna. "We'll get there in a day or two if I only stop once or twice." She simply held onto him.

"I can't wait to get to Suna." She murmured, as she settled against his shoulder, his arm keeping her in place.

"I can't wait to share my world with you." They travelled a little further until Gaara spoke again. "Climb onto my back." She blinked at him and he looked at her seriously. "You'll be more comfortable and I can move faster so we may get there in less time." She smiled and nodded as he slowed and Sakura climbed up onto his back with her arms around his neck. He sped up the sand and Sakura closed her eyes and laid her chin on his shoulder letting his even breathing lull her into a light sleep.

 ** _"Kid it's supposed to be your wedding night."_** Shukaku growled at him from the recesses of his mind.

_"She's tired and we are travelling."_

Gaara growled and shut him out before pushing on with his sand. He wanted her but also knew that she deserved more than a wedding night in a tent.

He traveled in silence listening to Sakura breathing, quietly and thinking over the events of the day with a small smile. Eventually he noticed the forest was getting a bit thinner and he knew that soon they would be in the plains and then the desert soon after. He could already feel the air taking on the unnatural chill of the desert nights.

He glanced over his shoulder at Sakura and felt her shiver against his back. Her eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes slowly. He thought instantly that he would never get used to that sleepy expression she had.

"How long have I been asleep?" She questioned, blinking in the dim light.

"A few hours at most, we are almost to the desert. It will soon get windy and extremely cold. Sub-zero temperatures at times. Circulate your chakra and hang onto me. I'm going to take us higher and cover us in sand." Sakura nodded and Gaara lifted them up over the last few trees and across the plains as it got to be dark.

Sakura sighed and looked ahead using chakra in her eyes to see the path before them. She looked around and felt her eyes being drawn upwards, causing her to and gasp as she noticed the incredible swirling cascades of stars above them both. Gaara, upon hearing her gasp, looked up at the stars above them. "I used to like to look at them. When I didn't sleep I watched stars from the roof. Suna is a great place to watch for them when you can make the sand clear enough to see them." Sakura smiled and hugged him lightly making him smile a little.

"I look forwards to watching them with you sometime." She whispered as they pushed on and Sakura started to become drowsy again.

"Gaara can we stop for the night, er morning? We'll get there tomorrow." Gaara looked back at her and nodded, descending and creating a large sand dome around them as they reached the plains. Sakura looked at Gaara in the dark and climbed off his back before lying down on the soft grass. "You didn't have to carry me for so long you know. We could have traveled by foot; I know sand travel must be taxing on your chakra." Gaara shook his head forcefully before sitting down beside her as she pulled the sleeping bag from the pack she had been carrying.

"It isn't a drain on my chakra and you are certainly not a problem to carry. If it was a problem I would have said so." He watched as Sakura's emerald orbs flickered to his face before going back to looking at the sleeping bag she was currently setting out on the grass. His features softened as he laid his hand over hers, commanding her attention and her gaze once more. "Sakura you need to stop over thinking things. We are a team now. Let me carry the weight while you prepare yourself for the next step." He watched as Sakura's eyes searched his for a moment before she climbed over the sleeping bag and gently kissed him.

Gaara reached across her and unzipped the sleeping bag, laying her down while still kissing her as he lay down alongside her and pulled her into his arms. She smiled at him as he pulled away from their kiss, running her hand gently across the side of his face. "I'm so glad I married you." He stroked her hair gently, his dark rimmed eyes tracing her features.

"I'm glad you decided to marry me." She rolled her eyes and kissed him again before placing her head close to his as his arms wrapped around her.

"Sleep well Sakura." He murmured. She smiled contentedly.

"Sleep well Gaara." She whispered before closing her eyes.

He closed his eyes soon after as they both listened to the wind whip around their structure.

His dreams were full of Sakura. At first it was simply images of her, her smile, her laugh, the way she fought, the power in her voice and fists. But quickly Gaara found himself above her as her hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him down into a hot kiss as that same feeling of power was channeled into her actions in a much different way.

Gaara woke with a small start, he looked down at the form still cradled in his arms and sighed when he realized he hadn't woken her. Inwardly he was bemoaning the fact that they would be watched like hawks until the wedding. Sure, rules were broken all the time and nobody ever suggested that in political marriages nothing had happened before hand, but in their case, nothing actually had.

Gaara's eyes traced along the form of his sleeping wife with a hungry and appreciative stare. She was still clothed in her usual uniform, form hugging shorts with the medic's apron or skirt over top, now slightly bunched up as she had twisted in her sleep, and her red top, slightly open where she had slid the zipper down for comfort. Her hair wasn't tangled but laid around her head in pink strands that framed the paleness of her face. She hadn't removed her gloves or weapons pouches, but her traveling cloak lay beside them alongside Gaara's.

He watched her for a while longer before leaning over and brushing the hair away from her face. She stirred and eventually blinked her emerald eyes at him in the darkness. A small smile spread across her face as Gaara's eyes continued to trace over her features in the darkness. "Good morning." She hummed as Gaara watched her quietly.

"Good morning Sakura." She sat up and stretched, watching as Gaara moved from his position on the floor to a crouched position, opening the bag to pull out some food.

"Hungry?" He asked, holding out some of the dried fruit Sakura had packed. She nodded and took the fruit, munching on it happily as Gaara ate some himself. The two finished their breakfast rather quickly before rolling up the sleeping bag and depositing it once more inside the scroll which Gaara placed back into the pack.

"Well then, we'd better get going, it's still a ways to Suna." Gaara nodded.

"I'll have to get rid of the sand dome and it is late in the day so the winds are still a bit strong. It would be best to secure the pack and yourself beforehand." Sakura agreed, pulling the pack onto her back and securing it before taking her place beside Gaara who pulled her tight to his side. "Ready?" He asked. She nodded in response as he dismissed the sand dome and was lifted into the air by his sand. Sakura immediately leaned towards Gaara as the desert winds fiercely whipped around them. Gaara set up a barrier in front of them and motioned for Sakura to climb onto his back once more.

It was light outside and Gaara knew they were still almost half a day away from Suna. The others were probably near the edge of the forest. Knowing Tsunade, they would have traveled for most of the night and woken up extra early. As they set off across the desert, they could hear nothing aside from the wind howling around them. Neither of them seemed to mind this sound. To Sakura, this was a reassurance that she was indeed very close to her new home. To Gaara, it was a sound that he had heard since he was a small child. It comforted him in a way and seemed to welcome him back.

He sped up his sand towards Suna, feeling a sudden pull towards the place he called home. He felt Sakura's cheek against his and her warmth on his back as he moved. The pull on his body seemed to be connected with her being there with him. The need to show her the home they would now share was a strong one and though she had been to Suna before, it would be different now that it was to be her home as well.

They traveled for a few more hours in silence after he had warned her about getting sand in her mouth. She laughed at that but took it to heart. It was light out and the heat was starting to pick up as the wind died down a little. In true desert fashion, the wind never really died down completely; instead, it merely heated up as the day went on.

Gaara stopped to let Sakura take off her coat and she did, stowing it into one of her scrolls. She then got back onto his back and they continued through the desert on his sand, both agreeing that it was much faster than running.

Soon Sakura could see the outlines of a large sand wall in the distance. She had seen it before but now looked at it in wonder as Gaara, sensing her stillness, descended to the ground.

She climbed off his back and walked forward a few steps as he watched her silently. The wind blew her hair back softly and Gaara heard her sigh. "It seems so different." She whispered as he walked over to her side.

"What does? The gate?" He asked her; slightly concerned that she meant that it didn't quite meet her expectations.

"Yes it seems different to look at it in the light of everything that's happened. It just seems strange that it's now my home." She turned to him and, to his immense relief, smiled. "Will you escort me home Kazekage-sama?" She asked playfully and he smiled at her gently before nodding.

"Yes Kazehime, I would be glad to." She laughed as he took her hand and the pair started walking towards the gates of Suna.

End of Chapter 43


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura is the Kazehime of Suna, Gaara is the Kazekage.

Sakura seemed happier as they got close enough to see the gates clearly. Gaara let go of her hand so she could walk freely as they both noticed four small dots moving towards them.

"That's the welcoming committee I suppose." Gaara nodded. "I'll have to act rather resigned then won't I?" Gaara looked at her with a quizzical expression and shook his head.

"You don't have to act like anything. Just act like yourself." Sakura sighed and then smiled.

"You make it seem so easy." He shook his head and pulled her towards him suddenly. She placed her hands on his chest, staring up at him as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her much more insistently than he had before. Sakura moved her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer to him. The kiss was much shorter than Sakura wanted it to be and she found herself staring up at a pair of turquoise eyes much sooner than she expected. He said nothing, merely stared with an appreciative and rather hungry looking smirk on his face before letting her go.

"W-wow." She said simply as she heard him chuckle. She almost fell into the sand tripping over her own feet when Gaara chuckled and grabbed her hand, steadying her as she looked at him and blushed lightly.

They continued moving closer to the towering gates of Suna. With every step, the gates grew larger until they were nearly standing under their impressive shadow. The four shinobi sent to greet them were easily distinguishable now. They walked closer to Gaara and Sakura as Sakura felt her heart rate start to rise once more.

"Kazekage-sama, Kazehime-sama." The shinobi bowed respectfully before the first, a man with brown hair and a scar across his lip, furrowed his brow and questioned them. "Where is the rest of your party?"

"The Hokage and my siblings are with a group of ANBU and are accompanied by Shikamaru Nara." The shinobi nodded and quietly flanked Sakura and Gaara as they walked towards the gates of Suna.

The gate to the city and the surrounding walls and cliffs loomed over them like sandstone guards, silently protecting the city within. As they passed under the expansive shadow of the wall, Sakura notice groups of people lining the tops of the walls and gate. As soon as they drew closer to the entrance, the people began to cheer.

Sakura looked at the people; now realizing they were all shinobi, with a look of wonder. Gaara watched her face with a feeling of pride.

"They are happy to see you Kazekage-sama, also to see our new Kazehime." The smallest girl with them happily explained. Sakura smiled at her and looked up at the crowd, giving them a small wave as they walked through the large gates and into Suna.

Gaara immediately dismissed the shinobi following them and held Sakura around the waist as his sand transported them to the front of the Kazekage building. Sakura had been to this building more than once. The round sandy structure with the large symbol for Wind on the side was still an impressive sight. Gaara let go of Sakura and walked with her through the front door and into the main building.

The secretary at the main desk straightened the minute she saw Gaara and immediately stood and bowed.

"Kazekage-sama, welcome back to Suna." She smiled professionally and then noticed Sakura standing somewhat behind him, taking in the interior of the main entrance. "Oh and Kazehime-sama, welcome to Suna." Sakura nodded to her as Gaara brought her through the building, showing her the way to his office. His secretary was not there, which would have concerned Gaara had he not given her the time off for the holidays. They walked into his office and shut the door as Sakura took a deep breath.

"That was unexpected." Gaara looked at her and nodded slowly.

"For me as well. The shinobi in Suna, as I'm sure you know, are not well known for hospitality or for friendliness." Sakura shook her head and smiled.

"No, I think that used to be true but now, well its gotten better." She smiled reassuringly as Gaara walked over to his desk and set down the packs he was carrying, along with his gourd that he had been transporting alongside them since they had left Konoha. Sakura set down hers as well, moving to look out one of the windows in the office. Gaara sat in his chair and watched her with a mild fascination.

"It's a beautiful place in its own way. You have a nice view from here." Gaara nodded approvingly, watching his wife instead of the view she was admiring.

"Yes it is a nice view." Sakura turned to look at him as he stared at her, causing her to blush at his meaning.

"I meant the village Gaara." His expression and gaze remained unchanged as he motioned for her to walk over to him. She did so cautiously as he stood and took her hand lightly in his own. His eyes met and held hers as she smiled gently at him. "Your village really is beautiful."

"It's your village now as well." Gaara murmured, pulling her closer to him with a gentle pull of her hand. "Would you like to go see our house?" He questioned, breathing in the flowery scent that seemed to always be present when Sakura was around. Sakura nodded eager to see her new home.

"That would be nice." Gaara let go of her hand, gathering his packs as Sakura gathered hers. They walked back down the hall and out of the building, gaining a hurried goodbye from the secretary as Gaara transported them both to his house.

The Kazekage compound was located off to the far side of Suna, relatively close to the Kazekage building while still managing to be rather secluded. The house before them was built in traditional Suna style sandstone with a bit of a more traditional compound look built in. It was large and stately, and had an air of grandeur about it.

Sakura gazed at it in awe, somehow unable to believe that it was indeed her house. Gaara watched her expressions, realizing that the house before them was somewhat overwhelming in its own way. Gaara had hated living there in his youth, associating it only with loneliness and pain. Upon the death of his father, the estate had passed to Kankuro, Temari, and himself. For the first year, Gaara could hardly stand to walk about the estate. Slowly, they had it renovated, changed, altered from what it had been. Eventually, even Gaara had come to accept it as his home.

Sakura had walked most of the way up the path by the time Gaara thought to follow her. He walked to her side, catching her sideways glance as he moved ahead of her. Without a word, Gaara opened the door and scooped her up in his arms.

She chuckled as he carried her inside and then set her down. She gave him a small smile before turning to look around the entryway. Sakura gasped at what she saw.

The inside was done in light colors with a bamboo floor, giving it a welcoming feel. There was a large staircase leading up to the upper level and two rooms on either side of the entryway. The house was spacious, this much was apparent simply from the entryway.

She walked into one of the rooms off to the side of the entryway and saw two sofas and a television along with a coffee table and a large bookshelf. It looked a lot like her living room in Konoha, even complete with a large mat on the floor under the coffee table. She smiled at the room, finding comfort in the familiarity, before walking into the room connected to it.

The colors in this room were a bit darker, but it still retained the comfortable feeling of the large house. Sakura noticed that there were large sliding doors that shut it off from the rest of the house, indicating that it was a study of some sort.

The interior contained a large desk, a leather chair slightly worn from use, another large chair off to the side of the room, and bookshelves along the walls. It was a very comfortable looking office and Sakura liked it very much.

"This was my old office." Gaara murmured, appearing behind her as Sakura took in the details within the room. "I'll move the papers to my office and then it will be all yours for work." Sakura looked at him and went to protest only to receive a look that she knew meant it was not up for debate.

"Thank you Gaara." He nodded as she walked out of the office and back through the living room. The next room was the kitchen.

There was a window above the sink and a large island in the center along with a stove, oven, microwave, toaster, fridge and sink with cherry cabinets and light grey walls. The table was in another room that Sakura merely glanced into before noticing that there were two large sliding doors in the dining room that led out to a huge garden surrounded by a large fence.

Sakura gasped at the sight of the beautiful plants and immediately walked outside making Gaara smile contentedly as she looked in awe at the beautiful grass and trees that had yet to start growing their buds and the empty flowers beds throughout the garden. Even without all of the plants fully in bloom, it was a paradise in the middle of the desert city.

"Temari made it. There are vegetables planted over there and those are cherry blossom trees. It should look beautiful in the spring." Gaara stated, looking about the garden with a sense of pride. Sakura turned to him with a huge smile on her face.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, as if speaking would ruin the moment. She looked around the garden for a few moments imagining what it would look like when everything bloomed and already planning to plants herbs for use in medicines.

After a little while, she walked back in the house and through the entryway to the other side of the house where there was a shoji room and a large room with mats in it meant for meditation or yoga.

Sakura then walked up the large staircase and followed Gaara to the first door on the right. It was a room with blue walls and a large bed with black satin sheets and a canopy overhead. It had a large mirror and a bathroom with a shower in it along with the toilet and sink. There was also a large wardrobe and a dresser.

"This will be your room until we are married here in Suna, supposedly. Temari was insistent that it would be better if anyone unexpectedly dropped by. My room is next door." Gaara did nothing to hide his disagreement with the situation and this made Sakura smile fondly.

Sakura put her scrolls on the dresser and her pack on the floor before walking down the hall to his room. She saw a few other rooms and figured they were guest rooms seeing as Gaara paid them no mind. They walked into a room that Sakura would have immediately recognized as Gaara's, had she not already known that it was.

The light red walls and the king sized bed with black satin sheets and a mahogany base in the center all screamed elegance within simplicity. All in all, the room reflected what she knew to be Gaara's personality. Within the room were a large dresser and a walk in closet along with an attached bath with a huge, two person tub and a shower along with a double sink. There were also two nightstands by the bed, both made from the same mahogany wood as the bed. Out of the corner of her eye Sakura noticed two large glass sliding doors leading out to a balcony partially covered by thick curtains.

"I love this house, but where are Temari and Kankuro's rooms?" Gaara smiled at her and led her downstairs to a door that connected to a hallway leading to a smaller, separate portion of the house that was distinctly feminine. That house had a door to another portion of the house of the same size that was messy and had puppet parts on nearly every surface. Sakura laughed and they walked back through Temari's part of the house to their own.

Sakura walked into the living room, slightly overwhelmed by everything, and sat down on the couch as Gaara sat next to her, carefully calculating and judging her reactions. "So this is my new home." She stated, looking around the room casually. "It is certainly larger than my home in Konoha." She chuckled a bit as Gaara continued to watch her reactions. She seemed a bit nervous and unsure, something he knew was normal. Eventually she sighed and smiled in his direction. "It already feels like home."

Gaara smiled at her, turquoise eyes meeting green, and put his hand up to cup her cheek before he pulled her closer to him to kiss her softly. He pulled her closer to him, not breaking their kiss, and was about to kiss her neck when there was a knock on the door. Sakura looked at him and couldn't help but smile as his face contorted into one of pure annoyance.

"We'd better go let them in." She murmured as Gaara's face continued to show signs of discontentment. They stood up and walked over to the door with Sakura trailing behind him. He opened the door, only to see a messenger standing there.

"Kazekage-sama you are needed in the conference room with Kazehime-sama." Gaara nodded and the messenger walked away. He looked at Sakura who now had a slight frown on her face. She thought it was rather odd to be summoned so early.

"Wedding plans." Gaara clarified, upon noticing her confused expression. Sakura nodded in understanding and walked over to his side. He smiled as they set off towards the main political tower.

The pair walked into the main tower and were immediately greeted by two ANBU who accompanied them to the conference room. They opened the doors for Sakura and Gaara before taking their posts outside of the room.

Sakura blinked in the light of the conference room, noting that it had grown exceedingly quiet the moment they had stepped inside. A quick glance around the room showed that all in attendance were currently bowing to them both as Gaara nodded to the group.

Gaara noticed that one seat was empty where Baki would have been sitting as head of the Sensei. Sakura was unsure where to sit until Gaara motioned to the chair next to him at the head of the table. The people in the room took their seats and waited for Gaara to start the meeting. Most were looking over files in front of them or watching the Kazekage as he glanced over the paper set before him, and yet none were hiding their obvious glances at Sakura.

After a few moments, Gaara waved his hand and immediately a man to his right began to speak.

"Kazekage-sama, we are here to discuss when the wedding will be able to take place and yet the Hokage is still not here…" Gaara cut the man off with a silent look.

"She will be here by tonight and the ceremony will proceed as planned for tomorrow." Sakura looked at him and then back to the advisors who were still looking at her curiously. Gaara had dismissed the complaints of the council much earlier but his advisors were still curious about the woman he had married.

"Kazehime-sama should be briefed on the ceremony, she is obviously not aware of our customs." One of the advisors stated, rather boldly, and Sakura glanced at the man before giving a nod.

"I would like to be briefed on the wedding ceremony. I'm sure Konoha's ceremonies are very different." She agreed as Gaara watched her closely.

"Of course Kazehime-sama." The man stated respectfully as the tension towards her seemed to slightly dissipate at her compliance. Gaara looked at her, amused at her ability to keep his advisors in line and diffuse situations. She merely watched him with a calm expression as he turned to the advisors.

"If that is all then Sakura and I will take our leave. We have to prepare for the ceremony and welcome our guests." The advisors nodded as Sakura and Gaara stood.

As they were leaving, Sakura was stopped by one of the advisors who bowed slightly to her. The room turned to look at them as Gaara stopped completely and focused his attention on the man who had stopped Sakura.

"Pardon me, Kazehime-sama, my name is Kain. I am pleased to meet you. I wanted to offer my help with the briefing of the wedding ceremony." Sakura looked at Gaara and he nodded his approval.

"You can come to my office and we can discuss them as I am only vaguely familiar with them as well." Gaara stated as Kain nodded, following them down to Gaara's office. Gaara went and sat behind the desk and Sakura sat in one of the chairs next to the desk as Kain stood in front of the desk and pulled out a scroll from which he produced a catalogue and a book.

"Firstly, Kazehime-sama, we have to pick from the Kimonos that can be worn. Suna has a longstanding tradition of political brides wearing one of three traditional kimonos. There's the blue one here with the sash and the simple flower pattern on the hem." He pointed at the catalogue as he spoke.

"Also the darker blue one with the same pattern." His slightly bent finger moved to point at the next kimono.

"The other one is the red one with the light pink flowers on it and the pink sash around the middle. It has a rather interesting pattern on the back as well. Of course, we can make some adjustments should the Kimonos not be to your liking, in terms of color and patterns, but these are what we have prepared and sized for you." Sakura looked over at Gaara, who was studying the catalogue with a vague expression.

"You help me pick. The dark blue, light blue, or the red." Gaara looked at the kimonos and then over to Sakura before speaking.

"The red one is the most unique and it suits you." He stated as Sakura smiled.

"I hoped you'd pick that one. I'll wear it." Kain nodded and wrote it down on a sheet of paper.

"Here's the book on the ceremony. It is rather simple, you say the rights and you exchange the rings again with the sand bond then tie your hands together and flare chakra and that's about it." They nodded and Sakura looked a bit confused.

"Sand bond?" She questioned.

"You'll see." Gaara answered for Kain.

Kain smiled and nodded. "The Kazekage would explain this better than I. I will take my leave of you both. It was a pleasure to meet you Kazehime-sama. Kazekage-sama." He bowed and walked out of the room with the catalogue in hand.

Gaara looked at Sakura who had picked up the book and had begun flipped through it, skimming over the parts about the ceremony itself. Gaara watched with mild interest before deciding he had best get her home before she became too absorbed in studying. "We should go home and wait for the others. They should be arriving sometime tonight." Sakura nodded and followed Gaara down and into the street where they walked to their house getting a few stares from people in the streets who bowed and then hurried off, no doubt to tell people they had seen the new Kazehime with the Kazekage.

Sakura walked through the gates to their compound and up the path to the house where she immediately took off her shoes and went into the living room with the book about the ceremony already open in her hands. Gaara watched her sit on the sofa with her feet tucked under her, already noticing her focused and attentive look. He sat next to her after a while, letting her lean against him as she read.

Sakura read some parts aloud, asking questions and pointing to specific terms that she was unsure about. Gaara explained what he could and tried his best to make the ceremony sound easier than what the book described. In truth, it was a rather easy ceremony, just not easy to explain.

They stopped reading and ate quietly an hour later. They then returned to the sofa where Sakura picked up the book again. Gaara read along with her and they both sat there quietly until the door opened and Temari, Kankuro, Shikamaru, and Tsunade all but spilled into the house.

Sakura set down the book as she and Gaara stood intent on greeting the slightly disheveled group.

"You guys sure got here quicker than I expected." Sakura said to them and Temari nodded.

"Tsunade used one of Jiraiya's toads to get here faster after he all too conveniently met up with us in the forest. She did a great job 'persuading' him to let us use one of the toads." Temari made air quotes as a rather disgruntled Tsunade pushed past her and into the house.

"He deserved that kick for his offer of a 'trade.'" She huffed slightly before smoothing out her shirt and glancing around the large entryway. "Kazekage, you sure do have a nice house but the sand is something I could do without." She stated approvingly before pointing to Sakura. "You chose well." She moved across the room, patting Sakura's shoulder before sitting in a chair with a grunt.

Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru moved the packs to the side of the room before joining Tsunade on the couches in the living room.

"So, what's the plan?" Temari asked after taking her place on the couch next to Gaara and Sakura.

"Well the wedding is tomorrow and the council said that they wanted to see you Shishou." Sakura stated as Tsunade shook her head and groaned.

"Those council members are the same as ours. You'd think they'd get it through their thick heads that someone needs rest after travel. I might as well go tell them I'm here before they send a search party." She grumbled as she walked out of the house, nearly slamming the door behind her.

Kankuro shook his head as Tsunade left. "While we let her deal with the Elders, should we get dinner started or go pick something up?" Temari gave Kankuro a look of pure disbelief while Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Are you seriously talking about us cooking?" Temari hissed at Kankuro as he put his hands up in defeat.

"All right I get it! I just…"

"Were thinking with your stomach instead of your head?" Temari suggested as Shikamaru shook his head slightly. Kankuro glared at her.

"Well I don't know about you, but I tend to get a bit hungry after a journey from Konoha to Suna that we made traveling at top speed." Temari rolled her eyes and stood.

"Before I beat you for being an idiot, I'm going to go get some food and bring it back." She shook her head and walked over to the door as Sakura looked over at Shikamaru and made eye contact with him. She waved her hand at him discreetly and raised her eyebrows, looking over at Temari before turning her gaze back to Shikamaru, who had gotten the message.

Shikamaru sighed and stood up from his seat, catching Temari's attention. "I'll help with the food." He stated, heading over to the door with a final glance at a pleased looking Sakura.

The moment they left, Kankuro sprawled across the couch with a sigh. He turned on the TV as Sakura settled into the couch beside Gaara. The three watched the news report as well as the weather before Shikamaru and Temari returned with the food.

Sakura helped Temari bring in bowls to hand to the others. They all accepted them and picked what food they wanted from the boxes now sitting on the table. Sakura watched how Temari handed Kankuro the bowl and watched as he added a good bit of food to it. She couldn't help but smirk as Temari seemed to have gotten over his idiocy and sat down next to him with a smile.

Sakura knew that the bickering that went on between the two was only skin-deep. The two really did get along as well as most siblings she knew. The trio of siblings looked out for one another, Temari and Kankuro especially so. Sakura guessed that it was due to the rather distant upbringing they had had paired with Gaara's unpredictability and dangerous nature as a child. She surmised that they must have bonded as a way of self-preservation while still watching out for their brother, even if they were formerly afraid and wary of him.

The three had had trust issues when they had first met, the anger and tension hardening them into a trio that had gained a reputation and name even as Genin for their furious fighting style and vicious tactics.

The land of Wind had a longstanding history of having hardened shinobi, known for their long rage fighting tactics and lack of social graces. It was a tough land to live in, and an even tougher land to be a shinobi. The land of Wind itself was a desert surrounded by enemy nations all intent on sweeping away the one jewel of the sand, the great village of Suna. Suna was the very pride and power of the land of Wind, boasting little to no exports, no agriculture and a harsh climate; they prided themselves on their handiwork and shinobi, providing manpower as their source of income. It was no wonder that the shinobi that emerged from this place were tough, brutal, and seemingly hardhearted. Having such a weight on your shoulders was certainly a cause for such tendencies, even if the climate was hospitable. However, having an inhospitable climate paired with this great burden certainly warranted and demanded such characteristics from the shinobi of Suna.

Sakura knew that these stereotypes were only partially true. Sure the shinobi of Suna were less touchy feely and gentle with their mannerisms, but this did not mean they were heartless. Though Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were most likely one of the most terrifying and foreboding trios the shinobi world had seen in many years, they were still siblings who had overcome a great deal to be the people that Sakura knew today.

Sakura smiled at the group fondly and engaged in conversation with Shikamaru who was explaining the political aspects of her marriage as Gaara silently watched Sakura.

He found himself watching her quite often as of late. Watching the way she ate, the grace of her hands holding the chopsticks and the way she twitched one of her fingers against the wood.

He knew that those hands could heal and help as well as destroy and kill. He had seen both. He had seen Sakura fight alongside him and had seen the sheer destructive power she held within those delicate looking hands. In the hospital, he had seen her heal patient after patient with delicate precision and diligence.

He admired her greatly and knew that she admired him in a similar respect. The thought in his mind that became most prevalent as he watched her was that she had agreed to be with him. A woman who could have anyone had decided on him.

Gaara, the former demon of the sand. The terror of the Chunin Exams. The demon son of the Fourth Kazekage who had been deemed untamable by his own father. The uncontrollable weapon of the sand. He was even one of the many people that had attempted to take her life. She had chosen to be with the man that had done those things. He would never forget what he had done, but he knew that he had changed, and would continue to change for her and because of her influence.

Temari's voice broke Gaara out of his thoughts as she stood and stretched with a yawn. "Well I'm going to go and get some rest in an actual bed. We had about three hours of sleep last night and I need more than that to be able to function for your wedding tomorrow. Shikamaru, there's a guest room upstairs." Temari smiled and waved lazily over her shoulder before walking out of the room.

Kankuro yawned and followed her soon after with a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows directed towards Gaara. Gaara gave him a stern look as Shikamaru shook his head at Kankuro. Sakura, having not seen this exchange, stood up to show Shikamaru the guest rooms.

She returned a few minutes later to where Gaara still sat on the sofa. He watched as she yawned and then promptly gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I'm rather tired as well even though I practically did nothing. As comfortable as it was sleeping in that sleeping bag last night, I do prefer a bed over the sand." He shook his head and picked her up in his arms as she gave him a look of fake annoyance.

"You should have told me and I would have let you sleep beforehand." He walked up the stairs as Sakura let herself be carried, enjoying the feeling of being pampered. Gaara paused in the hall for a moment and she looked up at him questioningly. "You can sleep in my room. It is our house and I don't think anyone has the right to say where you can sleep in it." His tone was his usual monotone, but Sakura detected the hint of a smile on his features.

He set her down when they reached his room, letting her slip into the bathroom to change as he changed in his room. She came out a few minutes later, locking eyes with Gaara before promptly retreating to the bed. Gaara followed her soon after, ignoring the persistent thoughts in his mind as he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. Rest was more important than his hormones.

It was around nine at night and already every shinobi and kunoichi in the compound was sound asleep. Tsunade returned to a silent house, sighing as she realized they had all gone to bed already. She walked upstairs and into first room on the right. Looking around the room, Tsunade noticed Sakura's scrolls on the dresser, but no Sakura. With a small smirk she set the scrolls and pack in the hallway and shut the door before crawling into the bed with a sigh. She knew Sakura wouldn't mind. She was somewhere much more comfortable. Tsunade smiled and fell into a deep sleep of her own confident that Sakura was in good hands in her new home.

End of Chapter 44


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Official political weddings are a drag but wedding nights are fun! Here's that smut I mentioned forever ago.

"Hmmm…" A small sigh came from the pinkette stirring in Gaara's arms. He had been up for a while, content in watching the way the light coming in from the curtains outside lit up the particles swirling about in the room and around the head of the woman who had managed to steal his heart.

Sakura scrunched her eyes together tightly and stretched, making a small noise as she did so before moving her mouth into a well-rested smile. Her eyes flickered open as she looked up at Gaara through dark pink lashes. "Morning Gaara." She whispered as his mouth twitched upwards slightly.

"Morning." She watched him for a moment, her eyes searching his as if looking for something before sighing and breaking the contact as she disentangled herself from the sheets. "I have to go get cleaned up and get my change of clothes. I have to be prepared for the ceremony today." She stretched as she stood, as Gaara watched her shirt ride up slightly to reveal a perfectly smooth sliver of skin on her back and then cover it as she lowered her arms, causing the shirt to hang over her well-toned shoulders.

"I'll meet you at the ceremony. I have some things to deal with beforehand." She smiled at him as he left the room, giving her a long look before doing so.

Sakura yawned and stood, walking out into the hall and down to her room where she saw her blonde haired Shishou sleeping soundly in her bed. "Come on Shishou, get up. We have a wedding today." She moaned and sat up in bed, blinking lazily at her adopted daughter.

"Sak'ra you should get ready." She declared sleepily, her brow creasing significantly in the way that most people did after being woken up. Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I am getting ready but you have to as well." Tsunade mumbled something about 'not having enough to drink' and 'kimono in the garment bag in the hall, annoying people aren't going to dress my student' and got up, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door while Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed her clothes from the hallway before walking back to Gaara's room to get cleaned up.

She washed her hair and dried it before putting on the makeup she was required to wear before deciding to attempt to singlehandedly put on the kimono that had been brought back by Tsunade the night before.

She had never put on such a complicated kimono in her life. She looked at the fabric laid about the guest room that she had retreated into with utter confusion. There looked like there was enough fabric to cover up a small house.

Deciding to start simple, as she had no idea what else to do, she put on her underwear and the lacey bra she had to wear to give her the right support before trying to get on the shift she had to wear under the kimono. She had gotten it over her head but was now trying to get one of the strings that were attached to the kimono shift out of her hair.

The result was impressively comical. Sakura was now hopping across the room trying to get the string that was formerly in her hair, off from around her ankle. She grabbed the end, pulled, and ended up tripping and falling right out into the hallway. In her underwear, with nothing but a kimono shift stuck around her body and head.

Sakura squealed as she fell onto a very surprised Gaara who caught her and helped her stand up. Heaving a rather angry sigh, she turned to thank her savior only to find herself looking at her husband who looked slightly surprised and amused.

"Do you need some help Sakura?" He asked calmly, making Sakura even more embarrassed. Sakura's face turned bright red as she looked at him trying to collect her thoughts.

"Er…um yes?" She mumbled sheepishly, making him chuckle. He pulled the twisted shift down and untangled the string from her ankle, proceeding to then tie it in the back where Sakura directed. Sakura thanked him and met his eyes for a brief moment before scurrying back into the guest room to change.

Gaara continued down the hallway, a small smile on his face. He had only intended to retrieve the scroll he needed to give to the elders for the ceremony and had instead had the rather amusing encounter with Sakura. Inside his mind he could hear a very irritated Shukaku hissing at him.

 ** _"Idiot! She was in her underwear and wrapped in a shift practically fucking gift wrapped for you and you disregard it!"_** He hissed angrily as Gaara merely pushed the annoying demon out of his mind. He grabbed the scroll before walking back downstairs, passing Temari who he directed upstairs with a simple head bob.

Upstairs a bright red Sakura had successfully gotten the second layer of the kimono on. This layer was located under the outer layer and was a simple white color. Normally this paired with a simple outer kimono would be as fancy as Sakura got, but she really had little choice in the matter. As soon as she had done this, Temari entered the room in a beautiful floor length purple dress that looked much like her usual outfit.

"I'm surprised you got this far." She snickered as Sakura rolled her eyes and gestured to the large outer kimono and obi lying on the bed.

"Would you help me?" Temari nodded and helped her put on the outer layer, adjusting it before nodding.

"You can handle the obi. I have to go make sure Kankuro is ready." She waved to Sakura and left the room before Sakura could utter a word to stop her.

The obi was beautiful and yet very complicated to put on. She managed to get it properly wrapped around her but couldn't attach it properly. Frustrated, she walked out into the hall trying to attach it behind her until she felt two hands take it from her and affix it in place. She turned around and saw Shikamaru smiling at her.

"Sakura, come on, you're getting married again today, let's not be late." Sakura smiled at him as he gave her a slight pat on the shoulder and walked down the hall. Tsunade walked out of her room in her Hokage robes just as he passed and turned to smile at Sakura.

"You look good in a kimono Sakura." Sakura turned to her and snorted.

"It had better look good for all the trouble it's caused me." Tsunade laughed as they turned to walk downstairs.

Kankuro was standing in a tux at the bottom of the steps, giving a low whistle as Sakura descended the stairs. Temari hit him on the arm with her fan and smiled at Sakura as she growled and adjusted her kimono.

"You look lovely Sakura." She stated as Kankuro grinned.

"They'll love ya sis!" He said, pulling her into a hug as she rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Kankuro. Where's Gaara?" She asked, noticing the lack of redhead in the hallway.

"He left a while ago because they need him earlier than you." Sakura nodded as Tsunade walked into the kitchen and returned with a slice of toast with ham and cheese.

"Here eat these and then we'll go. We have plenty of time but being early never hurt." Sakura munched on the toast before taking a fan from Temari that had cherry blossoms on it. Temari's face went from a smile to a look of dismay as her eyes moved upwards to Sakura's pink locks.

"You didn't do your hair!" Temari shrieked as Sakura blinked at her sudden outburst. Before she could swallow enough food to speak clearly, Temari had begun pulling her back up the stairs. "You guys get going, we'll be there soon!" She called as they heard Kankuro chuckle.

Temari pushed Sakura into a chair and grabbed a brush, pulling it rather roughly through Sakura's pink hair. She then twisted it up in a bun with some of her hair hanging around her face. The hair ornaments were thrust into her hair none too gently but in a very strategic way. The ornaments themselves were long black sticks with red, black and pink beads hanging down on the ends. As a final flourish, Temari added a hair comb that had three cherry blossoms on it.

Sakura thanked her as they walked back down stairs where Temari opened the door and told Sakura to transport to the Kazekage building. Sakura nodded and disappeared with Temari in a flurry of pink petals. They appeared at the Kazekage building where people rushed them inside, leading Sakura to a room separate from where Temari went to meet with Kankuro and Shikamaru.

Sakura was utterly confused at the commotion, paired with the sudden loss of Temari, as the door to her room shut and she saw that there was only a mat in the middle of the floor. A maid walked in and told her to sit down while she looked her over. She approved her appearance and told Sakura to follow her into another building where Sakura heard many voices mingling.

"Um, pardon me but where are we?" Sakura asked, rather bewildered as to what exactly was happening as the maid merely smiled.

"We are in front of the main square where you'll be married again Kazehime-sama. You will need to walk out with the fan in front of your lips and walk slowly looking down at first. When you reach the stairs you may look up." Sakura nodded and the maid smiled reassuringly. "You'll be fine Kazehime-sama." Sakura gave her a grateful look and the maid bowed before walking away leaving Sakura standing alone in the large room where there was a large screen in front of her. She heard the talking die down and Tsunade's loud voice boom with confidence.

"Friends, people of Suna, Konoha, and our allies. We are here today to bond together two great nations in a stronger alliance and to bring two people together that are an important part of our villages. Representing Suna as the groom, your Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara." She heard great applause and assumed Gaara had walked out to his place.

Sakura took a deep breath and opened her fan, preparing to walk. She willed her chakra to flow calmly through her body focusing on the pathways within her instead of the nervousness of walking in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of people. The applause went on longer than she expected but it eventually died down.

"We hope this wedding will bring together these two nations in a bond stronger than a written bond. A bond of love and friendship that we already share with friends from other villages as well as family and lovers. This bond already exists between the people of these villages and now it exists in their leaders as well." Tsunade paused and Sakura held her breath. "Representing Konoha as the bride, Sakura Senju Haruno!"

Sakura saw the screen rise and willed herself to look down before walking out to rapturous applause. From her peripheral vision, she could see the vast crowd before her as she descended the set of stairs in front of her. She walked for what seemed like an eternity as the crowd roared around her. Finally, her eyes alighted on a set of stairs before her and she was able to look up as she began walking upwards. Her eyes landed on Gaara first. He was finely dressed in his Kazekage robes covering his usual red apparel. The Kazekage hat that rested on his head obscured part of his face, but not all of it. His small smile and his brilliant turquoise eyes were not lost from view and they conveyed to Sakura an immense sense of pride.

Her steps stopped as she approached Gaara, taking his outstretched hand as she moved in front of him in the bulky kimono. The noise of the crowd had increased exponentially but she barely heard them. He smiled at her and she lowered her eyes again hiding a smile of her own behind the fan that she then lowered to her side. Temari took it from her quickly and Tsunade smiled as the applause died down as she raised her hands in the air.

"Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, please repeat after me." Tsunade said. "I, Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, promise to protect my wife's wishes and my village's. I promise to take her advice when I need it and keep her safety and health in mind." Gaara took a breath and repeated her.

"I, Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, promise to protect my wife's wishes and my village's. I promise to take her advice when I need it and keep her safety and health in mind." His voice reverberated across the silent crowd as Sakura's eyes locked with his. Tsunade then turned to her.

"Sakura Senju Haruno please repeat after me. I, Sakura Senju Haruno, promise to protect my husband's wishes and this village's. I promise to take his advice when I need it and keep his health and safety in mind." Sakura smiled and spoke clearly and loudly like Gaara had.

"I, Sakura Senju Haruno, promise to protect my husband's wishes and this village's. I promise to take his advice when I need it and keep his health and safety in mind." Gaara smiled slightly as Tsunade joined their hands together and tied them together with a red ribbon. Tsunade put her hands on top of their joined ones.

"As the Hokage I bond these people together in the name of Konoha and give them my blessing." She stepped back as Gaara squeezed Sakura's hand lightly. Sand wrapped up around the two swirling around them and then wrapping around their joined arms before hardening into a sort of ribbon-like structure. Gaara looked into her emerald eyes and spoke clearly.

"As the Kazekage I solidify this bond in the name of Suna and accept the Hokage's blessing." Sakura smiled and knew what to say next. This part was universal for all political weddings.

"As the Hokage's daughter I accept this bond and the blessings from Suna and Konoha. I ask now for the blessings of the Elders."

The Elders, who had been standing off to the side, moved forwards and stated, in almost perfect unison: "We give Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara and Sakura Senju Haruno our blessings."

Tsunade, who had taken a step back during the sand bond, moved forwards once more. The sand disappeared, swirling around them once before leaving. Tsunade took off the ribbon and handed them their rings. Sakura looked at them for a moment before turning her eyes to Gaara's once more. An overwhelming look of pride and what appeared to be happiness was what she saw upon gazing into them. It shocked her slightly, but she knew that her eyes most likely held the same emotions.

"Please repeat after me. I, Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, promise to uphold this bond and become Sakura Senju Haruno's husband." He repeated the phrase, placing the ring on Sakura's finger.

"Please repeat after me. I, Sakura Senju Haruno promise to uphold this bond and become Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara's wife." Sakura smiled and repeated her as she put the ring on his finger. Tsunade looked at the crowd and smiled holding her arms up in the air.

"I give you Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara and Kazehime Sabaku no Sakura!" The crowd broke into huge applause and cheered loudly as Gaara took hold of Sakura's hand. She smiled and turned towards the crowd as they both bowed to the people before them. They walked off the stage and up the set of stairs to a room where they turned around and waved to the crowd as the screen lowered. They heard the crowd still cheering as the screen closed completely and knew they no longer had to be formal.

She looked up at him just as he wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a slow and passionate kiss. She returned his kiss with just as much passion as he. He growled and picked her up by her waist making her giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I fully intend to show you how beautiful you are later." Sakura's eyes grew a little wide but inside her head, she was cheering. He smiled at her reaction and kissed her again softly before setting her down and taking her hand in his once more.

"I suppose we need to talk to the Elders now." He nodded and she sighed. "Well lead me to them Kazekage." Him smirked at her and bowed a little in jest.

"Of course Kazehime." She laughed at his words as he walked with her out of the room and down the hall into the Kazekage building where they saw the Elders standing.

"Ah if it isn't the happy couple!" An older woman stated, as Sakura and Gaara bowed to them all.

"Congratulations to you both. Let our villages have an alliance strong enough to last for centuries." The head Elder stated before smiling and bidding his farewells along with the other Elders, some of whom were poorly concealing looks of discontentment.

Tsunade, who had been waiting for the Elders to leave, smiled and hugged them both as did Kankuro and Temari. Gaara gave them all a silent stare and they grinned knowing what he meant by the look that he gave them.

"Well we are going to have to escort the Hokage and Shikamaru back to Konoha. Do we have permission to leave today? Tsunade-sama needs to get back." Tsunade gave the two a strange look. She was about to say something when she caught Gaara's gaze and understood the situation.

"Ah yes! I do need to get back soon I'll send a message to you when I get there. Shikamaru, let's get going I need to get back before the Elders take over completely or Naruto burns down the village." She smiled as Shikamaru gave her a very unhappy look at the prospect of traveling again. She shook her head and dragged him away as Temari and Kankuro walked with Gaara and Sakura outside where people cheered for them once more. They made it to the gates in record time. Sakura followed in a daze, still confused about the suddenness of her Shishou's decision to leave.

"You can stay here you know. You've only just arrived!" Sakura stated as Temari shook her head. Tsunade did as well making Sakura even more confused.

"Sakura, the Elders will completely take over the village if I don't return soon. You know how they tend to do that, the old coots. Anyways that blonde teammate of yours is running free doing who knows what and neither of us are there to stop him." Sakura raised her eyebrow but couldn't refute that logic completely.

"I'll miss you Shishou."

"I'll miss you too Sakura. Make me proud here." Sakura gave her a nod that promised she would do exactly that. The Hokage turned away and started walking as Kankuro and Temari waved goodbye and winked. Shikamaru stared at Sakura with his hands in his pockets in his usual lazy pose.

"So I guess this is goodbye for a while then. I hope Suna treats you well. I'll see you around Sakura." He gave a nonchalant nod of his head as Sakura smiled before pulling him into a hug which he returned.

"I'll miss you too Shikamaru. I'll be in Konoha soon and perhaps you'll be back in Suna as well." She heard him grumble slightly as she pulled back and grinned. He shrugged and gave them both a wave before turning and walking away with his hands in his pockets to catch up to the rest of the group.

Sakura watched them leave before she felt Gaara's arms around her waist. She saw the sand swirl around them and couldn't help but smile. They appeared in their house as Sakura let out a relieved sigh. "We're officially married." Gaara hummed his approval of her statement, tightening his arms around her ever so slightly. Sakura closed her eyes as she felt him kiss her neck gently and sighed happily at his actions.

Gaara's senses were tuned into Sakura nearly completely. He had wanted her for a long time and now here she was, all his for the taking. He kissed along her neck, snaking his arms around her, and hummed his contentment as he felt her become even more relaxed in his embrace.

"You're being very affectionate today." Sakura murmured as Gaara continued kissing and nipping at her neck. He growled slightly as her hands gripped at the sleeves of his coat, pulling him tighter to her and sending an electric surge of desire racing through her body. Part of her knew that he had been holding back and an even larger part of her knew that she didn't want him to hold back anymore.

"Sakura." His voice was deep and thick as if the mere act of speaking was difficult as he stopped lavishing kisses across her neck for a moment and gripped at the fabric of her kimono.

"Perhaps we should head upstairs." Sakura suggested in a soft murmur, glancing at his face as she did so. Immediately emerald met deep turquoise and Sakura felt mesmerized. His gaze was deep and dark, focusing on her with such intensity that she wondered if she was deep in some genjutsu.

The corners of Gaara's mouth turned upwards slightly as he suddenly scooped her into his arms and started up the stairs. The walk seemed to take ages as Sakura's senses were heightened in a way they hadn't been before. She felt, with perfect clarity, each finger and muscle of Gaara's arms holding her form against his chest. Her heart sped up a bit as he kicked the door shut behind them and walked over to his bed. Gaara set her down on the bed, moving so that he was hovering over her as she stared up at him with huge emerald eyes.

Gaara's eyes roamed over her face, tracing every curve of her features with obvious desire. Sakura gripped the front of Gaara's coat as he leaned down and captured her lips.

The kiss started out as slow and sensual. Gaara's lips moving against hers passionately, demanding participation from both parties. Steadily he began to deepen their kiss, snaking his hands under her waist and pulling her body towards his. Sakura wrapped her arms around his back, hands roaming along the fabric, mildly annoyed at the layers there. He had long since taken off his Kazekage hat and robe, having given them to someone directly after the ceremony, but the red jacket and the rest of his clothing remained. Sakura tugged at it slightly as Gaara's tongue slipped into her mouth.

Gaara hummed at her obvious annoyance with his clothing. She too was wearing a great deal of layers and he was suddenly not pleased at feeling layers of fabric as opposed to soft skin. He traced his hands down to her waist and set about undoing her obi as he continued to kiss her with growing fervor.

Sakura felt his hands move to her waist and pulled her head back, breaking their heated kiss. His dark rimmed eyes stared into hers as she smiled up at him. Gaara kissed her again, running his hands along her shoulders as he pushed the first layer of the kimono off them. Sakura wiggled slightly as Gaara attempted to undo the garment. He pulled back from the kiss as his attempts at removing even the first layer proved futile.

Sakura giggled as she noticed his struggle, propping herself up on her arms as she slid them out of the kimono sleeves and began to loosen it to the point that she could slip it off herself. Gaara, now seeing the way that the kimono layer could be removed, leaned back on his haunches and pulled it off swiftly, only taking care not to rip it when Sakura let out an indignant gasp as he tugged on it roughly.

The kimono hit the floor with a soft thud as Gaara's eyes came back to rest on his wife, now wearing the inner layer of the kimono. He wasted no time ridding her of this, knowing how to do this now and shed his own coat in the process. This momentary lapse in their heavy petting lead Sakura to really take in full stock of the situation.

Here she was left only in the white slip and her underwear with a gorgeous man above her ready and more than willing to ravish her. She knew her cheeks were tinged pink as Gaara's hands came to rest at her hips, his eyes dark and hooded as he looked up at her.

"You're blushing." He murmured, coming up to lavish open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone and up her neck, sucking at the tender skin near her ear as Sakura's hands began to tug at the bottom of his shirt.

He quickly tossed it aside, heatedly lavishing more kisses across her collarbone as her hands ran up and down his exposed chest and back, relishing the feeling of his skin and muscles. He made short work of the slip as a sharp nip at her collarbone had her digging her nails into his shoulder blades.

Her soft and supple skin was the perfect tone of creamy white and every breath she took raised her breasts in the most delicious way. Gaara watched her squirm beneath him as his hands ran up along her sides, skittering across every curve but staying away from her lace covered chest. They came back to her hips, his thumbs pushing circles near her navel as a low burn started under his fingers somewhere deep inside of her.

Sakura's fingers ran along his back as she arched into him, small pants and moans tumbling from her lips as he ran his hands along her sides and up her back. There he unhooked her bra as he began to kiss along her jaw and neck, sucking and biting softly as she gasped and moaned. He wasn't entirely sure if what he was doing was right but he'd be damned if he was going to stop doing it. The noises coming from Sakura were like honey to his ears and he couldn't get enough.

He tossed her bra across the room, pulling back to look at her, appreciating the wonderful spread that was laid out before him. She looked delectable and he didn't bother stopping the approving growl that escaped his throat. Pink perky nipples rested on impossibly rounded mounds that pushed up and to the side as she lay against the dark sheets. Once again, her beauty overwhelmed him. He leaned down to her ear, nibbling along the edge as he reached up and began to run his fingers along the underside of her breasts. Sakura moaned under his ministrations as his hands and fingers became bolder, snaking up to encompass each mound as he kneaded them gently.

Her movements became increasingly agitated as he began to run his thumbs across her raised nipples, teasing them until she was writhing beneath him.

She was burning, urges she hadn't felt in a long while were bubbling and broiling to the surface and for all the hurry he was in earlier he just wasn't moving fast enough. Frustrated and very aroused, she tugged at the hem of his pants.

Gaara pulled them off in one swift motion leaving them both in their underwear. Sakura barely had time to appreciate his mostly bare form as he ran his hand along the side of her body, dipping his finger to push lightly against the apex between her legs as she suddenly wrapped her legs around him and pushed her hips into his own. He groaned audibly at the friction as he met Sakura's gaze. Her eyes half lidded and her face suitably flushed, he pushed against her again, a low groan rising in her throat.

She tried very hard to be a patient woman but her temper often won out over that. Now it wasn't her temper but the incoherent yearning thoughts that were plaguing her mind, chanting over and over that she was done with the teasing, she wanted him, she needed _him_.

"Gaara, stop teasing me." She all but commanded as he rubbed her again over her now suitably damp underwear.

" _Sakura_." He practically purred her name, sending a new wave of desire through her as she tugged viciously at his boxers. He pulled them off in one swift movement before doing the same to her underwear. He hummed his approval upon seeing her bare before him. This beautiful woman, this goddess, was all his.

She had no reason to be shy; she felt no embarrassment at being bare before him when he too was bare before her. He was all lean muscles and sun-kissed porcelain skin, built like a shinobi who was accustomed to fluid movement, not brute strength.

Gaara suddenly moved forwards, cutting off her view and attacking her neck and chest with kisses as his hands stroked the insides of her thighs. Her gasps and groans were his reward but he wasn't satisfied until she began to moan as he let one of his wandering hands reach the soft, slippery slit between her thighs. Her emerald eyes flew to him as he ran his finger up and down, brushing against that bundle of nerves that made her gasped groans take on an entirely new pitch. She pushed her hips upwards as his other hand moved to keep her firmly against the bed.

His fingers became bolder, edging around the entrance he could feel was practically dripping until he slipped a finger inside causing the fire within Sakura's belly begin to climb once more. Her hands grasped at his hair, his back, everything as he added another and began to curl and move them in and out at a slow pace.

He wanted her, he wanted to dominate her, slam into her until she couldn't move and he was utterly, entirely spent but he resisted for this moment. Her moans and gasps as he head fell back and her neck was exposed to him were worth the pain he felt as his erection strained against him. Kankuro had told him to take his time, to savor in the beginning and he had done so…this time.

"Gaara please." She moaned, finally opening her eyes as he didn't let up with his teasing. Desperately attempting to get the attention of the man who had now latched onto the skin by her shoulder, on top of her sensitive mark. Her fingers had been raking down his back and she was sure there were marks on his skin by now. But it was his fault, she hated being teased. He hummed lightly and moved to kiss her deeply as he removed his fingers and positioned himself over her removing his fingers from her impossibly warm core.

She could feel the tip of his dick at her entrance and oh did she want him. Her body was aflame and she could think of nothing else as she pulled him in for a bruising kiss, bucking her hips as he growled and moved into her in a solid thrust, burying himself to the hilt in her delicious heat.

She gasped at the contact and bit her lip slightly, wrenching herself from his kiss as she stifled a pained groan. Gaara kissed her neck, waiting for her to release the tight grip she had on his shoulders as his will threatened to snap. As her grip loosened he began to move, his pace consistent and fast, eliciting excited noises and moans from the kunoichi beneath him.

Their pace quickened at her urgings and loud gasps, nails raking across his skin as his name tumbled like a mantra from her lips. Her voice became more insistent as his pace increased and his thrusts became wilder.

Sakura felt as if she was on fire, the deep sensation pooling in her stomach climbing as Gaara began to nip at her collarbone and neck, growling deeply as he did so. He was lost in pleasure as was she, his name inciting pride and spurring him on as he focused on her, her scent, the sheen of sweat across her brow, the way his growls and thrusts made her gasp and groan and rise to meet him.

She began to call his name at a higher pitch mixed among incoherent words. She felt herself drawing near to the edge and grasped his arm tightly as her other hand found itself wrapped in his hair.

Gaara moved even faster as he felt her tighten beneath him, pounding into her until, with a loud shriek of his name, he felt her spasm and come undone. A few more hard thrusts and he too found his high, growling out her name as he pulled her flush against him, satisfied and bursting with a sense of pride as he breathed in the scent of sweat and sex and her, this gorgeous woman panting beneath him.

They both came down from their highs, panting as Gaara rolled off her, pulling her tightly against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. He was feeling possessive but she didn't mind, not at all.

"Worth the wait." She murmured as he stroked her back.

He kissed her damp skin as they both lay silently on the bed, panting and relishing the feel of the other's bare skin.

End of Chapter 45


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New hospital, same old Sakura. This chapter is so long.

Sakura opened her eyes and blinked as sunlight streamed onto her face. She stretched and hummed at the warmth that seemed to surround her. She rolled her head to the side and breathed deep, smelling the scent of sand, a warm, deep spice and lingering must that could only come about after a bout of sex. She instantly liked the smells better than the scent of the flowery detergent smell mixed with the sterile scent of bleach her own sheets had.

She shifted again and then opened her eyes upon realizing that the warmth she had snuggled up to was soft, muscular, and very much alive. She found herself staring into turquoise rimmed in black, casually observing her movements as she blinked and gave him a wide, sleepy smile. He said nothing but leaned down and kissed her gently as his arms stroked her back in tiny circles.

She hummed as he pulled back and went back to staring at her with the most sated and simultaneously smug expression she had ever seen on his features.

"Good morning Gaara." The corner of his lip quirked upwards as she stretched under the blankets. Her lower half ached minutely but it was a good ache, proof of muscles rarely used being tested. She looked at him sideways with one eye closed as he propped himself up on his pillow to stare down at her.

Her pink hair lay strewn about her face in an endearing manner. Her green eyes still had the slightly sleepy look of someone who had just awoken. What made him so amused was the fact that she blushed when she realized she was completely naked even though the covers were up around her chest.

She relaxed as his turquoise eyes traced the delicate features of her upturned face. Tentatively he reached out to rest his calloused hand on the side of her soft skin, causing her to sigh contentedly. His thumb rubbed gentle circles along her cheekbone as she hummed appreciatively.

"I have to go to work soon and so do you. You need to get a feel for being the head medical director of Suna Hospital." He spoke in a deep monotone, not wanting to break the stillness of their contact. He heard her sigh as she looked up at him.

"I know, I'd better get my clothes from the guest room and get showered." Gaara looked at her and nodded to the bags of clothing on the floor of the walk in closet.

"I moved them in here yesterday." She leaned up slightly, glancing over to the closet to see that he had moved her bag into the room. His eyes remained rooted to her as the covers slipped down off her shoulder revealing creamy skin marred with dark red dots that made his chest swell with pride.

"Thank you. I think I'm going to go take a bath before I go." She turned back to him and his eyes once again returned to her face as she looked at him and then turned, letting the covers fall off her slightly as she swung her feet over the side of the bed. Gaara watched her stand up, walk to the bathroom, and then shut the door slightly, glancing over her shoulder once with the hint of a blush on her features.

Only when he heard the water begin to gush out of the faucet in the bathroom did he himself stand and stretch. His mind was filled of thoughts from the night before. The way she had smelled and tasted and felt beneath him made his blood surge and his pride swell. She had reacted to him in a way that he had only ever heard about.

Days prior to their wedding Gaara had enlisted the help of his brother, asking him questions Kankuro was shocked to hear, but agreed to answer. He was not naïve nor necessarily inexperienced, not entirely, but there were some things he had been unsure about. Instinct guided him through most of the caresses and such up to that point but with Kankuro's help he was sure that he had made an impression.

Gaara heard Sakura sink into the water in the bathroom, his boldness returning as his mind drifted to things he had heard his brother mention. Silently he moved towards the bathroom, slipping behind the door and behind his pink haired kunoichi who was currently sitting with her eyes closed in the tub. Without a word he slid into the warm water and the bubbles, the volume in the tub increasing the moment her slipped inside.

"I wasn't expecting a move like that from you." Sakura murmured, jade eyes opening to give him a teasing look.

"It seemed a waste of water since we are in the desert." He stated simply. Sakura huffed lightly and smiled, grabbing a bottle of cherry shampoo that she knew Temari had bought for her.

"Well since you're here, could you wash my hair?" She asked sweetly, turning her back to him as small rivulets of water slid down her smooth skin.

He hummed his agreement and scooped up water in his hands to wet her hair before massaging the shampoo gently into her pink locks. He would not have done so had she not been the one asking and if it weren't for the fact that the mere sight of the marks on her neck when she turned her head didn't arouse him immensely. She hummed happily and he let her dip her head to wash her hair out.

She turned and smiled at him grabbing a bottle of his shampoo and making him lean back so she could wash his hair. He closed his eyes as her slender fingers lightly pulled at his hair in soothing concentric circles, massaging the shampoo evenly into it. It was new to him, having someone who cared about him, but he already enjoyed the benefits.

She let him wash out the shampoo as she stood and stepped out of the tub, wrapping her soft towel around her. Gaara had his eyes closed as he heard her soft footsteps across the tile of the bathroom taper off as she made her way to the bedroom once more. He stood, after composing himself and telling himself that they had to be somewhere that day, draining the tub before drying himself off, running a hand through his damp crimson locks before wrapping a towel tightly around his waist.

Sakura stood in the bedroom, putting on her standard attire without much thought to her actions. She preferred to wear her standard outfit while working in the hospital although she was known to swap out her shorts and skirt for standard Jonin pants at times. The desert sun, the heat, wind, and sand all warned against shorts, skirts, and things that didn't cover skin but Sakura disregarded the warnings as she was a medic who would be indoors and had ways of guarding against the sun.

Sakura generally disliked the standard Jonin uniform and often refused to wear it despite having achieved the rank. Many other shinobi did the same when not in active combat. She had brought her flak jacket to Suna with her, as it was still a part of her uniform. She had been required to wear the uniform on official missions and those involving a large squadron but other than those few times, Sakura had kept her uniform safely undisturbed in her wardrobe in Konoha.

She stopped for a minute and sighed as she ran a brush through her candy colored locks. She missed Konoha already. The green of the land and the forests provided her with an immense sense of comfort. The rustling of the leaves and the soft breezes in the trees were her favorite sounds in the world.

Suna had its charms and was, in its own way, pretty but the scorching days and frigid nights were enough to make her miss her home. The winds here were never gentle or soft, never whispering through trees but instead were merciless and hostile much like the land itself. One had to fight to survive here unlike in Konoha's welcoming climate. The winters in Konoha were the worst part, but even they were forgivable and didn't last long.

Sakura shook her head as she pulled on her boots. She would not think of Konoha now. She was the new Kazehime and her new home was simply an adjustment. She righted herself with a determined smile on her face as she turned to find Gaara standing outside the bathroom, his pants the only article of clothing in place as he watched her with a silent stare. Her eyes ran along his torso without her willing them to. Her mind immediately registered again that his muscles were toned and stretched like fine strings on a violin.

Sakura's jade eyes traveled back to his face where he stared expectantly. She blushed slightly, realizing he had caught her staring. His features softened slightly as she turned her head away. "Sorry, I just can't seem to get a handle on myself this morning." She murmured as a small smile graced Gaara's features.

"It's understandable. You have a lot on your mind today." He moved swiftly passed her, touching her arm gently as he bent to toss a black shirt that lie on the floor into the nearby hamper.

Sakura blushed once more as she realized their clothing from the day before still lay strewn about the room. Silently she gathered it up, taking care not to damage the kimono as she placed them in the hamper to be cleaned.

Gaara felt a sense of amusement rising in his chest as he finished tugging on his usual shirt to see his wife gathering their clothing with a tinge of pink in her cheeks. He pulled on his usual coat, doing up the fastens and attaching his vest on with the buckles it sported as Sakura finished her cleaning and looked over at him. "Would you like me to make breakfast? Eggs maybe?" She offered as Gaara nodded.

"That'd be nice. I will be down in a moment." He gave her an appreciative look as she left the room, the blush still present on her face.

Gaara finished dressing and followed her downstairs a few minutes later where smells of eggs cooking wafted through the house. She had her back to him as he walked into the kitchen and he could see her hands working as she chopped tomatoes to go with the eggs. Gaara crossed the kitchen and brushed a hand along her back, getting more comfortable with casual touching. She smiled at him as he shifted the finished eggs onto two waiting plates.

They carried their plates to the table, both silent as Gaara waited for Sakura to voice what she wanted to say. He had noticed her sideways glances and recognized that something was on her mind. They sat at the table as Sakura contemplated her eggs before glancing up at Gaara.

"Gaara, do you think I can run the entire hospital?" Sakura asked quietly. Gaara's expression changed, so that's what she was worried about.

"I know you will do fine. You saved my brother and countless others. I have full faith in you." He reached across the table, laying a hand across hers in an attempt to solidify his words in a way that he knew would resonate with her the most.

It worked and she looked up at him with an appreciative smile. "I hope I can live up to that trust."

"I have no doubt that you will." He stated, smiling gently at her.

"You know I think I'll put a henge on my hair and eyes so I won't be recognized. I need to be able to survey things for what they are and not have people acting better because it's me. I need to assess the hospital for what it really is." Gaara nodded at her as she finished eating. The two stood and placed their dishes in the sink before heading towards the door.

Sakura changed her hair to a brown color and made it slightly longer. Gaara watched as her eyes changed to a plain brown, the usual vibrant green disappearing completely. She pulled on a large cloak, wrapping it around her telltale clothing. She smiled at him as they walked outside. The two said their reluctant goodbyes before they reached the main street, knowing there would be talk if Gaara was seen with someone who did not look like Sakura. Sakura continued through the sleepy desert town with the air of someone on a mission.

Villagers glanced at Sakura as she passed them by, none taking notice in her. To them, she was simply another one of countless shinobi that passed unnoticed by the civilians and their everyday lives. She was one of the many faces in the shadows, protecting their way of life.

The path to the hospital was quiet, passing through shadows of looming buildings, the ever present sandstone and swirling air greeting her with silent reverence. She wondered idly if Gaara was controlling the sand that swirled around her every step, this thought pushed her forwards even as her breath quickened as she approached the silent doors to the structure in front of her.

A determined look crossed her face and she stepped into the hospital.

Immediately Sakura began to assess the waiting room. To her left sat a boy with his mother, holding his arm as tears streamed down his face. The woman was attempting to console him.

To her right sat another man with a gash in his cheek. What concerned her most was a boy, obviously a Genin by his outfit, half slumped over in his chair. Immediately she walked towards him, already assessing his external condition.

"Hello, I'm a doctor here, could you tell me your name and where you are injured?" She asked as he sat up a little. He looked at Sakura with an unfocused gaze.

Already warning signs were going off in her head.

"Ken Moto. I got hurt in training. I didn't want Sensei to worry so I came here by myself." Sakura shook her head and put her hand on the boy.

Her chakra entered his system and began prodding. Immediately she found a broken rib along with a few cuts on his arms and back that needed to be treated. Multiple contusions on his back indicated that he had hit something rather hard. To her it looked like he had fallen from a high place.

"What were you doing when you got hurt?" She asked, her temper starting to flare.

What kind of hospital didn't check their patients waiting or have the common sense to help a Genin if they came in hurt from training when the waiting room was practically empty?

"I was climbing a wall with chakra. I got to the top and I turned around to tell Sensei I did it and I fell." Sakura nodded and turned around, furious at the hospital and its staff. She walked over to the nearest doctor who was obviously flirting with the secretary.

"Excuse me that boy over there needs immediate care. He has a broken rib, contusions on his back, multiple lacerations and a possible concussion." The doctor looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you his mother? If you have notified the secretary then I assure you he will be taken care of." The doctor turned to talk to the secretary once more as Sakura's temper flared.

She dropped her henge and glared at him as the secretary suddenly dropped her clipboard and stared at Sakura with obvious fear in her eyes.

The doctor, noticing her expression, turned to see a furious Sakura glaring at him with a look that was learned straight from Tsunade herself. He cowered and fumbled for words as Sakura growled with commanding fury at the man in front of her.

"I said that that boy needs care now." The doctor snapped up straight and called a frightened nurse over who put the boy into a wheelchair and wheeled him away as the doctor ran after her to help and to escape the rampaging Sakura.

Sakura watched them leave before turning to the other nurses who had appeared upon hearing the commotion.

"I need nurses checking every patient in this waiting room right now. You obviously have nothing better to be doing." Sakura barked to the women currently balking at her.

Three nurses rushed over to the waiting patients and started examining them as Sakura watched with arms crossed over her chest. She nodded as the patients began to be attended to.

With a determined look once more on her face, she marched up to the secretary, her low heels clicking on the tiles as she walked. "I want to call all of the staff not in surgery or attending to a patient to the staff meeting room immediately. I assume you have one?" Sakura demanded, her voice dripping venom. The secretary nodded and picked up a microphone, hastily making the announcement. Sakura nodded to her and walked away down the hallway the terrified secretary pointed towards.

Sakura replaced her henge and passed by several doctors that grumbled and walked down the hall holding coffee and walking leisurely. Sakura stopped by a staff changing room and grabbed a white coat hanging on a peg with her name on it. She took off the name tag and put it in one of the pockets before walking away to join the lazy throng of staff heading towards the meeting room.

Sakura walked to the back of the room and stood next to two doctors talking quietly to each other. They looked at her and started smirking, talking in whispers to each other as another doctor eyed her pointedly. She mistakenly made eye contact with him, prompting him to leave his colleagues and head over to her.

"Hey are you new here? It isn't often I see cute nurses like you around." Sakura looked up at him and smiled before putting a dainty hand up to her lips and giggling as she inwardly gagged at the man's copious use of cologne.

"Oh well I am new here and I'm not used to it yet." The doctor grinned and moved his long hair away from his face.

"Well don't worry, it's pretty laid back here we can get away with a lot of slack. Work gets done but it's pretty easy." Sakura looked at him, dropping her hand and looking surprised.

"Really? I heard it was hard, I heard the medical program was struggling and was understaffed." The doctor paused for a moment, caught in his blatant lie and then shook his head and smiled again.

"Nah it's all just rumor, you'll like it. The head doctor is a total pushover. I can explain it later, how about dinner sometime?" Sakura looked at him and stopped smiling, letting her henge drop as his face fell into something one could only describe as utter fear and confusion.

"You seem to be delusional about your workplace and no to dinner, I'm married." The doctor looked on wide-eyed and horrified as Sakura walked up to the front of the room, turning heads as she passed.

She turned on her heel, arms now crosses as she looked at the doctors and nurses standing in the room with a gaze that sent most people running. "I am here to run the hospital thoroughly and efficiently so that it helps everyone it needs to and can become just as good as the hospital in Konoha, if not better." She gave a pointed look to the doctors in the back of the room and continued.

"This hospital has an appalling status as one of the most incompetent and underdeveloped medical facilities in all of the great villages. Your medical program is understaffed, outdated and sorely in need of new management. I am here to change these things." Her eyes scanned the faces of the people in front of her, some looked ashamed to hear the truth spoken aloud and others simply looked submissive.

"I was trained by the best medical mind in all of the nations and I am like her in the way that I like to get things done right the first time. I will not give up on a patient until I am certain there is not even a sliver of hope left. A hospital is not as archaic as a battlefield, here you have the resources to fix everything and try all of your options before you can call a patient. Out there…" She gestured towards the window in the room. "You don't have the resources or the time to try everything." She crossed her arms once more.

"I am absolutely appalled at the state of the waiting room order. A Genin out there needed to be attended to immediately. He was almost unconscious in the chair and nobody was checking on him even when clearly there were more than enough doctors to have time to flirt with the secretary! In Konoha Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and academy level students are top priority. They are to receive care immediately, by someone trained in medical ninjutsu, especially in times of high alert or crisis. I am unsure of the practices here as I have only worked here once before but I assume they are similar." She let her gaze fall on the nurses in the room.

"I want nurses to work in the waiting room checking on patients and categorizing them into immediate and delayed priority. I will teach these nurses myself about what to look for in patients and how to categorize them. I am also instituting a rule that the waiting room must have a minimum of at least two nurses in it checking on patients at all times unless it is empty. Now any questions about that?" Sakura asked looking at the nurses and doctors. A doctor in the back raised his hand and adjusted his glasses, looking at Sakura. She raised a brow at his boldness, having meant the question to be rhetorical, but nodded. She wanted to hear this one out.

"Kazehime-sama, can we also have more doctors and nurses working the ER and ICU? We don't have enough in there to keep an eye on patients that are in critical condition or those that come in with broken bones and other serious injuries. Most of us are busy with surgery or those patients in immediate critical condition." Sakura nodded.

"He brings up a valid point. I will look into that. Now I want to know how many of you know how to use chakra for healing." She looked as a few doctors raised their hands including the man who had just asked the question, she recognized him and another man as field medics she had seen on joint village missions before. A few nurses raised their hands as well. She counted and nodded. There were only a few but they were enough for her to be satisfied for now.

"Those of you trained in healing will be assessed by me and will continue your practice. All of the field medics in Suna will also be notified to report to me to demonstrate their skills." She watched as the two field medics nodded. "I will submit full reports at the end of this week and all new protocol will be instituted effective immediately." The doctors begrudgingly nodded as Sakura walked towards the door with a stern nod and a barking "Dismissed!"

Immediately she henged her hair once more, determined to check up on the rest of the hospital before she could beginning writing the rest of the formal protocol. As she passed down the hallway she began to hear raised voices.

"I understand Sir but he has a broken leg." A nurse stated as a boy in a wheelchair looked from her to a middle-aged man in a white lab coat. Sakura's brow furrowed and she approached the two and they turned to look at her.

"What do you want? Don't you have somewhere to be?" He snapped at her and Sakura's temper rose again. She looked at the nurse and smiled.

"Take this young man to where you were going. Give him a lollipop for being so patient." She smiled at the boy as the nurse nodded, walking quickly away as the man whirled on Sakura.

"What do you think you are doing ordering her around you insufferable little brat! I am the head medical director here you have no authority to do that! I will have your name brought to the Kazekage and you will be fired!" Sakura looked at him unblinking and scowling.

"Well I find that a pointless argument as he is a dear friend of mine." The man scoffed and looked her up and down with blatant scrutiny.

"I bet he got you this job didn't he? You probably have no talent and only got here because you begged your 'dear old friend'. A likely story! In case you haven't the brain to notice, the Kazekage doesn't have friends." Sakura was absolutely seething now and she growled audibly making him stick up his nose anymore. "That will go under severe disrespect! What is your name?!" He hissed at her as Sakura decided she had had enough. It was taking everything in her power not to punch this man into next week.

With a final defiant look Sakura dropped her henge letting her hair shorten and lighten to her usual pink as her eyes changed from a dull brown to a fiery green.

"Sabaku no Sakura, Kazehime of Suna and the new head medical director." She practically spat at the man.

He merely scoffed at her.

"I'll admit your henge of the Kazehime is good but you failed to get her pouty expression and too pointed turned up nose. She is a poor person to henge for someone as dumb as you are. I am calling security and having you locked up for impersonating her and insulting me as well as being a rude little bitch."

That did it.

Sakura punched him hard enough to send him sailing down the hall and into a wall shattering the plaster and definitely breaking his nose if not his face. She had held back only because he was a civilian and Gaara would have to deal with massive amounts of paperwork is she demolished the hospital.

Two doctors that had seen the whole thing gave her impressed looks as Sakura nodded to them before turning on her heel, still furious. She rounded the corner quickly and ordered a passing orderly to deal with the doctor she had just punched before storming outside the doors of the hospital where she promptly disappeared into a flurry of pink petals.

She appeared outside of the Kazekage Building furious and on a mission to get the man she just punched in some major trouble. The entire hospital seemed to be in shambles!

 _"Surely Shishou didn't think it was this bad. I mean the last time I was here I was aware they were undertrained in herbs and extensive healing but I didn't think it was that bad."_ In her head Sakura kept going over and over the same facts in her mind.

That insufferable worm of a man was holding the hospital back. Getting rid of him would only be the start of a long uphill battle. Her Shishou had dealt with similar in Konoha but nothing nearly as bad as this, Konoha had always been at least somewhat competent.

This hospital had no waiting room procedures, inadequate respect in the realm of medical staff, insolent doctors, and abhorrent management. This was not including the fact that Sakura had yet to inspect the rooms, practices of physicians, medical skill sets, nurses training, medical records, organization of files, or anything of the sort regarding paperwork or practical applications.

Sakura felt stressed and angry, all warm feelings from her morning and the night before gone as her temper flared even more as she thought about what the man had said. She was not someone to be reckoned with and her status as a shinobi and a medic was far more important than her status from her marriage. Being the Kazehime was a major responsibility but being a medic was what she had worked for, what Tsunade had trained her to be. She was respected for it before she ever married a Kage.

She was more than that man at the hospital had ever been or would ever be. She was the Hokage's apprentice and a damn good kunoichi!

She rounded a corner as a poor girl jumped out of the way of the seething Sakura currently storming towards the secretary at the end of the hall.

The secretary was someone she recognized as the cute girl named Matsuri that Sakura remembered Temari mentioning a few times on her earlier visits to Suna.

Matsuri saw Sakura and smiled at her until she saw her almost feral expression.

"Uh Kazehime-sama! The Kazekage is just getting out of a meeting he should be down that hall!" Recognizing Sakura's anger, she redirected her quickly, pointing as Sakura nodded and gave Matsuri a small and yet terrifying smile before storming away, her anger still flaming.

Gaara had just gotten out of a meeting and was thinking about Sakura when he saw a pink haired girl storming through a hallway past him. He looked up in slight alarm, following her swiftly as he called out to her.

"Sakura!" She heard his voice and whirled around to face him, still positively fuming.

Gaara could tell that she was furious the moment he laid eyes on her, her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides and his face immediately became dark as he ushered her towards his office. She followed complacently, saying nothing until he had shut the door behind them. Immediately she began to pace, words pouring out of her mouth in a heated tone.

"Firstly I should inform you that the former Head Medical director insulted me completely and I punched him into a wall." Gaara's eyes widened and then narrowed, his own anger rising at the thought of someone insulting Sakura for any reason. She caught his eye and shook her head.

"I know, but what's more important is that the entire hospital is in shambles. There was a Genin passing out in the waiting room and nobody seemed to care! The doctors were lounging around as if it was break time and the nurses were ignoring the waiting room patients." She stopped her pacing and crossed her arms angrily, her foot tapping on the ground as she looked at him.

"Gaara I know it is not your place to run the hospital but if I am to fix what needs to be fixed I need free reign to do so. I don't know Suna's politics like you do and I don't know how the council will react. The council in Konoha took a good scolding from a furious Tsunade and a near international incident before they changed their minds about the medical program and I know how the elder council here is similar. I need to have the ability to shape up the program or nothing will get better." She looked at him with a mixture of an apology and lingering anger as he met her gaze with a serious expression

"I will deal with any questions from the council and I will give you full and utter control of policy there providing I approve it. Now as to the matter of the director, I know you are capable of dealing with this but let me handle it. Take me to him." He gave her a hard stare and she nodded, taking a deep breath as he moved forwards and took her hand in his.

His sand transported them to the hospital. Sakura walked through the door and saw two nurses in the waiting room checking on the patients and some doctors talking to each other about medical reports as they walked down the hall but nobody seemed to be moving around.

The nurses and secretary looked a bit startled to see Gaara and swiftly nodded to him as he passed. He followed Sakura past the two doctors who nodded to them both as they continued down the long hallway.

They walked past a wall where a janitor was attending to a large concave dent surrounded by a plaster-covered floor. A frazzled looking nurse gave Sakura directions to the room that Sakura quickly followed.

As they approached the room Sakura gave him a glance and motioned for him to stay outside as she walked in with an exceedingly angry look in her eyes. The man lying in bed took notice of her entrance and immediately sat up in his bed and glared at her.

His left eye was impressively swollen and his cheek and jaw were sporting a lovely shade of blue that was obviously just beginning to darken.

"Your temper will get you nowhere and I don't care who you're married to you'll always be under my power as long as my medical reputation is the way it is. I am on the brink of a breakthrough in a medicine to cure a disease that sweeps through Suna every year and only I know the formula for it." He sniffed indignantly as he slurred out these insults to Sakura. He was obviously having difficulty moving his recently healed jaw and Sakura felt a twinge of pride at her work.

"The Hokage sent me here to do a job and I intend to do it." He scowled at her and then sneered.

"Only I know the research and the formula for the medicine and I will withhold it indefinitely even if I lose my job. I certainly am not going to have some bitchy little whore get her dirty hands on it. I could care less whom you are married to. Everyone knows the marriage was just a plan to get Suna and Konoha in an alliance. All political marriages are like that." Sakura's eye twitched and she turned on him ready to hit him again just as Gaara walked into the room and placed a firm hand on her arm.

Sakura glanced at him and caught a menacing and cold look in his eyes. She remembered that look from the Chunin Exams and it sent a chill through to her very core.

He meant business and would kill to get it.

"I will not have someone talk to my wife that. You will apologize to her and give her the formula for your medicine. On top of that I am banning you from ever working in the medical field in Suna. If you fail to do this I will have you locked up for threatening the Kazehime and insulting her and myself." He glared at him and the man flinched and scowled but the fear in his eyes won over as he slumped in defeat. "Not all political marriages are merely political. I would watch your tongue from now on." The man nodded again and grudgingly gave Sakura an apology. Gaara left the room immediately afterwards, followed by Sakura who looked at him with a bubbling attraction.

"I must admit I didn't see that coming." She sighed, her anger certainly lessened but not at all dispersed.

"I will have no one insulting you or your medical achievements." He looked at her and sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped walking. "Unfortunately, I have another meeting to get to and I have a new idea to propose to the elders. Regardless of what they say I'll still get my idea through. The Hokage would gladly help if I needed it I'm sure." Sakura looked at him with a confused expression.

"I haven't even begun writing up new protocol." Gaara shook his head.

"I'm talking about money for the hospital; your changes will demand it." Sakura stared at him and the roughly pulled him into a kiss just as a speaker came on above them.

"Kazehime-sama to the ER. Kazehime-sama to the ER." Sakura pulled away from Gaara with a reluctant sigh.

"Go." She nodded and gave him another burning look before speeding off down the hall. He let himself out of the hospital with a determined look on his face.

Yes, he was going to get her that money one way or another.

"Where am I needed?" Sakura called to a passing nurse as she got to the ER. The nurse pointed to a room where a doctor just exited.

"Kazehime-sama! We have a man that just came in from a mission. He's unconscious, losing a lot of blood and appears to have shrapnel in his arm." Sakura nodded and pulled back the curtain taking in the nurses rushing around him with rags trying to staunch the bleeding coming from multiple deep lacerations. Sakura moved to look at him her hands already full of chakra.

"How many weapons and where?" She asked scanning over him as she began trying to stop the major areas of bleeding.

"Five kunai in the chest, two shuriken in the left arm, and what appears to be a burn on the right arm full of shrapnel from an explosion." Sakura nodded scanning over his right arm and looking at one of the nurses.

"Get me an operating room and a doctor to help me get the shrapnel out! They need to have the ability to heal with chakra!" The nurse nodded and rushed out as Sakura pulled out a senbon lodged deep in the man's arm, healing the torn muscle and tissue left behind while scanning for toxins.

One of the field medics from earlier came in and Sakura and the nurses wheeled the man to the operating room quickly as Sakura pulled on a blue overcoat and gave a nurse her white lab coat. They walked into the operating room with nurses tying her hair back and giving her gloves as the nurses worked on removing what shrapnel they could.

Sakura was healing what skin she could, stopping all of the bleeding before beginning on the shrapnel covered arms. She scanned for imbedded shrapnel as the medic did the same to the other arm.

Scan, pull out shrapnel, scan, and pull out shrapnel. The work went quickly and they finished in a few minutes leaving Sakura and the medic to heal the man as the nurses cleaned up the room.

Sakura checked his burned arm and healed the parts that were badly burned before letting a nurse wash the rest of it gently with an antiseptic solution. Another nurse took off his vest and shirt, wiping down his chest exposing the cuts better and letting Sakura heal the ones that were more serious, and leaving the ones that weren't bad.

After she determined he was stable and on the mend she left the room leaving the nurses to clean and dress his wounds as well as find him a room.

The medic followed her as she threw the blue coat into a bin and the gloves on her hand into the trash can outside the operating room before going over to the sink and washing her hands and arms up to the elbow. The medic did the same before looking over at her.

"Kazehime-sama, my name is Rai Uhiko I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself at the meeting earlier. " Sakura looked at him and recognized him as the man who had suggested having more doctors and nurses in the ER. She smiled and nodded.

"It is nice to officially meet you Rai-san, I have worked with you once before on a mission I believe." He nodded.

"Yes I am a field medic but things became too much here at the hospital and now I devote most of my time here." Sakura gave him a knowing look. It was why both she and Shizune were often not on missions.

"If you don't have somewhere else to be maybe you could help direct me to my office. I believe it is on the second floor." He nodded to her and walked out of the washing room with her at his side. He walked up the stairs to the second floor and down a hallway to where there was a large office. Sakura walked inside and nodded to him. "Thank you Rai-san." He nodded and left leaving Sakura to look at the massive stack of paperwork on her desk.

 _"Ugh I get stuck with all of this? Shishou would have a heart attack."_ She picked up the first packet and started reading before signing the last page and filing it.

Yes, it was going to be a long day. She thought, sighing and reaching for the next packet.

In the Kazekage Building Gaara sat in the meeting that had been dragging on for hours, listening to people talk about a trivial building permit that was of little interest to him. The head building manager was rambling about the permits he had signed months ago and was essentially wasting his time.

"I want to talk about the hospital." He stated, suddenly breaking his silent observation.

The discussion in the room stopped as those gathered all looked at their Kazekage who rarely spoke in these meetings unless addressed. "They need more money to keep our shinobi healthy and healed as well as our citizens. I propose we give them more money for renovations and medical equipment as well as more staff." The advisors looked at him and then at each other.

"Well I'm sure we can manage that. If it helps the hospital." One of the advisors stated.

"But the new hotel renovations—"

"Are of little significance compared to this." Another advisor, one Gaara had appointed mere months ago, stated. He was rapidly beginning to like this advisor. "The health of our people is much more important." The other advisors agreed, nodding towards Gaara whose calculating gaze and silent approval was enough for the people in the room.

"You can draw up a new budget allocation for me and I will look over it." He shifted his gaze to the financial advisor who nodded in response. "Meeting adjourned." He stood and walked out of the room as his advisors began to talk amongst themselves once more.

He passed Matsuri who informed him that he had no more meeting scheduled for that day and that there was only paperwork to attend to.

Gaara spent the next few hours in his office filing and submitting the paperwork that had piled up over his break. Upon noticing that the sun was setting he decided that he would be done for the day.

He informed Matsuri and left the Kazekage building, walking to the hospital to see Sakura.

He was unsure what to think when he entered.

Nurses and doctors were walking around calmly, discussing work and papers as nurses checked patients in the waiting room. He walked up to the desk and the secretary told him to go to the second floor and turn left to find Sakura who was apparently in her office. She punctuated this with heavy use of his title making him wonder if the medical staff weren't the only people Sakura talked some sense into.

He left the waiting room and walked through the halls, passing nurses and doctors who gave him nods and greetings as he passed. Everyone seemed to be working better and smoother and Sakura had only been there for a few hours. Inwardly he wondered if she had threatened all of their lives, or their jobs.

He walked over to the door marked with the words "Main office" scrawled in chipped black lettering that had obviously not been repainted in years, and opened it, walking inside to see Sakura slumped over the desk with her head resting on her arm, eyes closed and seemingly asleep.

Sakura had been dealing with the doctors and nurses all day after getting pulled out of her office for two more mishaps. One surgery had lasted nearly an hour as the patient in question had nearly severed his foot off completely while doing something with scaffolding.

After this was over, she had managed to get the competent staff to begin sorting out new protocol and had quickly begun to form lists of what else needed to be done. Her work had not yet extended to the rooms of the hospital or to the specific medics and medical training, but that would come in time.

After finally getting the nurses and doctors to comply (with minor displays of force) she had retired to her office and began drawing up plans for the hospital.

That was how the current sight had come to pass. Sakura, looking very much like Tsunade after too much sake, was currently sleeping at her desk.

Gaara stared at her, wondering what she had done to make her so tired, before shaking her shoulder lightly making her jolt up and almost fall out of her seat in a flurry of papers. She blinked at him and he stared at her as she put her head on her hand and looked up at him through her fingers.

"I could have hit you by accident!" She chastised, standing up and yawning. He looked at her and blinked once more.

"I wouldn't have suffered much damage." Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at the papers on her desk with a disgusted look.

"Ugh I can't believe I fell asleep, I still have so much to do." Gaara caught her gaze and crossed his arms.

"You've done enough for today." She moved to protest and he simply stared with a look that told her it was futile to disagree.

With a sigh she nodded and looked back at him. She was tired, though she inwardly thought part of it was his fault for the night before. "So we should go home and get some dinner then?" He nodded as they walked out of her office.

After dinner a tired Sakura made her way upstairs where she quickly divulged herself of her medic clothing before changing into a tank top and pants.

She then promptly went to the bed and snuggled under the covers, closing her eyes as Gaara took off his vest and jacket before taking off his pants and putting on a pair of clean black ones leaving his shirt on. He heard Sakura mumble something and looked over at her as she repeated it clearer.

"Warmth, here, now." She mumbled again making him smile a little as he crawled into bed next to her. She snuggled up to him immediately and he couldn't help but admire the way her curves fit to him.

Her deep breathing returned soon after as he watched her fall asleep.

He began meditating, the only way he had found to lure himself into sleep at night and soon felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

Sleep didn't bring him any peace though as he fell into a dream that made him very uneasy.

 _"Gaara please come back." Sakura said as he saw her crying while she stood on top of the Suna wall. He wanted to yell to her and tell her he was right there but he was so confused. He couldn't see himself and he couldn't yell to her. He found himself frozen in one spot as he watched helplessly as she cried. He heard his sister's voice and found he could turn his head to look at her. She was running up the stairs to where Sakura was standing. Sakura turned her head and shook it as she leapt off the wall. Temari screamed and Gaara found his voice and screamed as well. He watched helplessly and just as her body was about to hit the sand below…_ Gaara shot up in his sleep and panted lightly before looking over in the bed next to him where Sakura slept soundly. He sighed and ran his hand through his red hair. _"It was only a dream."_

He sighed and lay back down closing his eyes again and wrapping his arm around her as if holding onto her so he would never ever lose her. She moved in her sleep and held onto his arm making him smile as he meditated in an effort to rid himself of the nightmare he had experienced. He had dreamt of nothing after that and found himself awoken by the faintest rays of light from outside.

He opened his eyes, stared at the light trickling in from a small sliver of uncovered window behind the curtain, and turned to look at the sleeping form next to him.

She gave a small hum and her eyelids fluttered before they opened a fraction of an inch and she blinked, eyes adjusting in the dim light. She noticed Gaara watching her and smiled.

"Did you sleep well?"

"As well as I can. What about you?" He asked lazily running a hand along her cheek and making her smile again as she stretched her arms happily.

"I slept great. I was so tired last night."

"I noticed." She rolled her eyes and smiled before standing up and yawning as she stretched. She walked over to the bathroom and let out a small gasp of horror. Gaara immediately followed her into the bathroom. He saw her looking into the mirror and then over at him.

"How can you not laugh at this?!" She squeaked, pointing to her hair that was completely flat in the back and stuck out on the sides. He looked at her confused and relieved and shook his head.

"The next time you gasp in horror remind me not to think you're dying." He stated dryly, turning around and walking out of the bathroom as he heard the shower turn on.

He walked into the closet, pulling off his shirt and pants and tossing them into the hamper before he pulled on another pair of his usual clothes.

He heard the water shut off in the bathroom and a few minutes later Sakura came out wearing a more casual variation of her usual outfit and looking sufficiently refreshed.

Sakura disappeared down to the kitchen with Gaara following behind, adjusting his vest as he went.

Sakura had just cracked eggs into a pan as a knock sounded on the door. Gaara went to open it as Sakura remained in the kitchen, finishing up with the eggs as she head murmured voices down the hall before Gaara reappeared, a frown on his face.

"What is it?" She asked, setting the plates down on the table.

"I need to go to a meeting. Don't worry I'll explain everything." He looked at her briefly before walking out the door as she watched him disappear a bit worried and confused.

End of Chapter 46


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life takes time to settle, especially for people in power with annoying enemies.

Sakura walked into the hospital with thoughts of Gaara's sudden departure weighing on her mind. He was the Kazekage so it was only natural that he was called into meetings but this seemed more urgent than the rest.

She pushed these unhappy thoughts aside as she stepped into the hospital, knowing that she had a full and busy day of work ahead of her.

Sakura was rather happy to see that the waiting room was running smoothly and that the patient count was low.

She waved a halfhearted hello to the secretary, who had scrambled out of her chair to greet her, and walked to the hallway where the staff changing rooms were located. She grabbed her white lab coat and had only just walked out into the hallway when a man dressed in off white clothing nearly knocked her over.

She was about to scowl at him, expecting him to be apologizing but instead she found herself staring at his back as he sped around a corner and down a hallway without so much as a pause. Immediately her brow furrowed and she set off after him. People running in a hospital had never been a good sign before and her gut told her it wasn't a good sign now.

She turned a corner and watched the man disappear through two double doors. Her eyebrows knit together even more as she realized he had just entered the shinobi portion of the ICU. Her hand clenched at her side as she watched the man run into a room just as she heard a voice come over the loudspeakers.

"Kazehime-sama to room 312 in shinobi ICU. Kazehime-sama to room 312 in shinobi ICU." Sakura glanced at the number, her heart rate quickening upon realizing it was the same as the one on the loudspeaker as she quickly entered the room. The nurses and doctor present were in a bit of a flurry, only stopping to acknowledge her as she immediately began taking in the situation.

The man she had seen running had been stopped by a nurse who looked to be holding him back as a string of protests spilled from his mouth. A girl lay on the bed writhing in pain as a doctor injected her with a sedative.

"Status and problem." Sakura barked, heading over to the patient as the doctor administering the sedative looked at her.

"Stable for now. Head injury and possible genjutsu. She was brought into the ER and was treated but complications arose after we put her in here." Sakura nodded and put her hands full of chakra over the girl's brow.

Immediately she felt the tug of a powerful genjutsu and began forming the symbols to break her out of it.

After a moment of this, the girl jolted in her fitful sleep and her breathing and rapid heart rate evened out. Sakura then sent her healing chakra into the girl's head, being careful of the stitches on her forehead where a wound had been sewn shut.

She evened out the girl's chakra signals that had been scrambled by the genjutsu and then looked over at the nurse near the sink.

"Wrap up her head where the stitches are and move her to recovery. She is no longer critical but I want her monitored for the next 48 hours. Have her set up on the rotational watch schedule." The nurse nodded and began attending to the girl as the doctor filled out her charts.

Sakura turned her attention to the nurse who was still consoling the man who had run into the room ahead of her. He caught Sakura's gaze and stiffened, obviously calmer now, before bowing to her.

"I am so sorry Kazehime-sama, forgive me. Thank you Kazehime-sama. I saw my sister's team come in and I impulsively followed. I know I broke protocol barging into the ICU." Sakura crossed her arms and nodded at him.

"You did break protocol and for that I am upset, however, I understand your reasoning. I want you to promise me not to do that again. Am I clear?" The man looked up at her briefly and nodded.

"Hai Kazehime-sama."

Sakura uncrossed her arms and looked at the nurse. "He will be allowed to stay with her. Notify me of any changes." The nurse nodded as Sakura left the room after checking that she was no longer needed.

Briefly, an image of a hyperactive blonde with bright blue eyes entered her mind and she couldn't help but feel a bit homesick as she thought of her friend. The man had reminded her of him in a way. Naruto never had been one to follow hospital protocol and had barged into the ER and ICU on multiple occasions, often leading to more injuries and a very angry Godaime chewing him out.

Sakura shook away the memories of Naruto with a smile and decided to check in on a few more patients in the ICU before heading to her office.

The visits went by quickly and soon Sakura found herself behind the old desk, staring at a mountain of new paperwork along with the papers she finished the day before that had yet to be properly filed.

Sakura attended to these first before looking over the new forms.

About an hour later five forms had been looked over, revised, and signed and Sakura still had plenty more to go.

With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She had always scolded her mentor for her terrible paperwork skills but now, faced with the mountain before her, Sakura felt a bit bad about all of her nagging. As she was about to begin reading a paper entitled "Vaccinations for children under 13," a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in." She sighed as the door opened to reveal a familiar face.

Rai stuck his head in the room before walking in and handing her a box wrapped in a red cloth.

"The Kazekage's secretary dropped it off for you." She sat up a bit straighter in her chair, now very curious to see what Gaara had sent her.

Rai's eyes scanned over the paperwork in front of her and he shook his head. "You sure have a lot to do." Sakura glanced at the stacks in front of her and sighed once more.

"You have no idea." He gave her an apologetic look as she smiled. "Thanks for this Rai-san."

"Of course, I'll leave you to your work then." He nodded to her and left Sakura alone once more.

Deciding the package from Gaara was much more intriguing than paperwork, she opened the cloth wrapping and smiled when she saw a note with her name resting on top of a bento box. She opened the note first, eager to read what he had written.

_Sakura,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't deliver this personally. The meetings are running long. I'll be home late tonight I have a lot of paperwork to sort through. I'm sorry, I'll explain later._

_Gaara_

A worried frown creased her forehead as she wondered as to the severity of the issue Gaara had been called away to address.

She turned her attention from the note to the bento box, opening it to see dumplings, rice, pork cutlets, and assorted vegetables cut into tiny shapes. It brought a smile to her face as she began to eat the delicious smelling food. He had obviously had it made by someone especially for her.

An hour later and Sakura stood from her stiff position, stretching and popping her sore joints. She had managed to finish all of the paperwork and now had the rest of the day off. The hospital was running smoothly and all was well.

Sakura exited her office, hauling a massive stack of paperwork with her, and deposited the paperwork at the secretary's desk.

She then hung her coat in the staff changing room before informing the secretary in the waiting room that she was leaving and to contact her if something were to go wrong.

A quick glance at a clock as she left the hospital told her that it was about five in the afternoon and there was still a little light.

She pulled a hood on her cloak up over her head as the heat hit her in an oppressive wave. With a minor adjustment to her shoes, she set off down the sand covered road.

The further she walked the more smells and sounds she could hear.

The familiar smell of meat and rice cooking wafted to her nose and she felt herself inexplicably drawn to it. Following the smells, Sakura ducked into a tight alley, heading towards where the sounds and smells were the greatest, only to emerge into a crowded marketplace filled with food vendors.

Nostalgia washed over her as she immediately felt at home. The stalls lining the streets reminded her of Konoha in a way that made her miss the village dearly.

She had always loved the mundane task of going to the market. Looking at the produce being sold and chatting with the vendors always brought her a sense of ease and a welcome respite from the often times harsh realities of her life. The good food and simple task of buying and selling was soothing to her.

Here in Suna the colors of the market were more muted but the atmosphere was much the same. There weren't bright piles of fruit or green plants being sold but there were baubles painted in bright colors and a few cacti with tiny flowers adorning their spiky tops that added some color to the sandy shades of yellow and beige.

Sakura meandered along the road, glancing at the oddities of Suna cuisine and grimacing slightly when passing a stall selling roasted bugs of assorted species.

 _"Shino would certainly disapprove of that!"_ She thought with a shake of her head and a less than attractive gag.

At the end of the road, Sakura found a stall selling bright red strawberries. Her interest was immediately piqued as in Konoha strawberries were a rare commodity in winter and she was exceedingly surprised to find them in Suna of all places.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura opened the door to her house carrying a bag laden with strawberries. She hung her cloak near the door and headed to the kitchen where she put the strawberries on the counter and pulled out a container of flour along with some milk and sugar.

She pulled out more ingredients from the cabinets, setting each one on the counter before her.

In the far corner of a cabinet, wedged between two dusty pans she found an old pie tin.

Sakura had never been an outstanding cook; a fact that had been mentioned multiple times by her teammates, each time ending in quite a few punches and glares from her. She was, however, known for her pies. She had been given a recipe by her paternal grandmother and had learned it well in an effort to woo a certain raven-haired snob back when she was a Genin with flawed ideals.

Needless to say, her pies had gotten very good while her standing with said snob hadn't.

Sakura made the piecrust in a matter of minutes, setting the dough in the fridge to chill while she moved into the living room to listen to the news.

_"Rogues are growing increasingly active near the border of Wind Country and Fire Country. Attacks are becoming more common on shinobi and some casualties have been reported. A planned attack is rumored to be expected. The target is undefined but shinobi should be wary."_

Sakura frowned at the television as she wondered about the information. The possibility of a planned attack could explain Gaara's sudden departure and extended meetings but the severity was questionable. She sighed and decided worrying about something she knew nothing about was not a good use of her time.

Instead, she returned to the kitchen and finished making her strawberry pie, whipping up the filling and adding it to the crust with practiced ease. She popped it in the oven and sat down on the couch, watching the rest of the news report before the timer dinged.

As she took the pie out of the oven, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. The pie was golden brown and smelled positively delicious.

She cracked open the back window that lead to the greenhouse and set the pie on the sill.

In Konoha, she usually couldn't do this without keeping a sharp eye on the pie the entire time it cooled. Naruto had a habit of stealing them before they were cool and even Tsunade had once cut a slice out of one when it was left unattended. She smiled at the memory of a time when Naruto got caught with his hand in the pie and she punched him halfway across Konoha. He had apologized profusely and she had conceded by letting him have the rest of the pie seeing as his hands that had been who knows where had already left a hole in the top crust.

Sakura looked around the house with a feeling of emptiness around her. She was alone and Gaara wouldn't be back until much later. There wasn't much for her to do. With a glance outside to the darkening sky, Sakura decided another walk through the village would be a good distraction.

Grabbing her cloak once more, Sakura set off up the road traveling away from the hospital and the Kazekage office.

She was stopped as she turned a corner and waited as two children went running past, laughing and kicking a ball across the sand covered ground.

In a way, Sakura knew that she liked Suna. It was not Konoha, not by any means, but it did give her a sense of home. It was harsh, hot, and always seemed to have sand everywhere, but it had its own charms.

Sakura continued down the quiet road that she was on, admiring the scenery until she realized it was becoming rather familiar.

Her spirits fell a little as she walked through the streets on a route she had travelled before.

_Sakura was covered in dirt and her clothes were ripped. She had a swath of bandages wrapped around her middle and she was exhausted. She had been unable to find sleep and her eyes were red and puffy, the vibrant color reduced to a murky green._

Sakura neared a secluded path and turned down it, walking along to a familiar place full of plain looking stones.

Sakura had still been in pain and had been haunted the last time she had been to this place. That was the last time she had walked this route. That was the last time she had been here to see her.

"Chiyo-baasama." Sakura whispered as she walked up the rows to where a larger stone stood amongst the rest. She put her hands on top of it just like she had so long before and two people seemed to stand there.

One was tired, injured, beaten, and sad. She was a girl who had just learned the true meaning of sacrifice and had witnessed what she had believed to be impossible.

The other was the woman who stood in the waning light remembering, proud, and respectful.

She smiled wistfully and looked at the name on the stone, remembering the woman she had barely known but had learned so many valuable lessons from in such a short amount of time.

"I owe you so much. You brought him back to life. You helped save me and helped me become stronger and then you gave your life for him. I owe you Gaara, Chiyo-baasama, this village and these people owe you their Kazekage." She bowed her head and held an image of the woman in her mind.

"Thank you." She knelt down onto the sandy ground, placing her forehead to the ground in a bow to the grave before standing and walking down the path as tears pricked at her eyes.

The road had begun to darken as twilight set in and Sakura decided to walk back towards her house and travel down a different path. She hadn't seen many people out until she walked down this road.

There were a few shinobi walking in groups who nodded to her respectfully as she passed.

She gave them respectful nods in return until someone that looked familiar caught her eye, sitting on a chair in front of a soba stand. She heard laughter and smiled as she walked past, not wanting to bother the man.

Her ears perked up as the laughter abruptly stopped and a voice called out her title.

"Kazehime-sama!" She turned and saw Baki's head sticking out from the cloth covering the soba shop. His face looked serious but still held a light air about it that told her he was in good spirits.

Silently she wondered why he was here if Gaara was still supposedly in a meeting with his advisors and council. Perhaps they were finished?

She smiled and waved to the usually serious Jonin, walking back up the road to where he and a few other Jonin had come out from the soba shop.

"Hi Baki-san I was just taking a walk." He nodded and she looked at the three other Jonin that were whispering quietly behind his back. "Would you like to introduce me to your friends?" She smiled at the Jonin who suddenly straightened and looked at her. He swiveled his head to give them a disapproving glance.

"These are Sanji, Gin, and Taka. This, as I am sure you are aware, is our new Kazehime." His eye narrowed as the men gave awkward bows to Sakura. Sakura looked at Baki and gave him a slightly exasperated look.

"Baki-san my name is Sakura, not Kazehime. I don't require friends or my husband's former teacher to call me by my title." He nodded as the other Jonin gave her nervous glances. "I was actually wondering if there are training fields I could use. I feel a bit cooped up in the hospital and I used to like to train a little in Konoha. I haven't been able to find them yet, I haven't had the time." Baki looked at her and nodded.

"There are some training fields down this way but the largest ones are up in the plateaus above the northern part of the village. The fastest way is by rooftops." Sakura nodded appreciatively at the usually silent man.

"Alright then, would you like to show me the way? You are all welcome to come and as well I could use a good spar." The other Jonin looked at her and blinked as a smile crossed her features. They gave each other strange looks as Baki answered for them.

"We would be honored to accompany you… Sakura." He motioned for her to follow him and jumped onto the nearest roof and Sakura followed behind him racing across the roofs of the sandy structures below them.

They got to the top level of the training fields and Sakura immediately noticed a huge area of low trees and boulders with grass in the middle; a rarity for the desert. She dropped down and walked into the large training area giving it an appraising glance.

The grass here was spiky and yellowish unlike the soft green grass common in Konoha. The trees were stunted and had few leaves but still, they were trees and there was grass. She couldn't really ask for more.

The Jonin waited as Sakura pulled on her black gloves. "Standard sparring hand-to-hand combat, weapons allowed. Strictly taijutsu. Alright?" Sakura questioned as the men in front of her nodded and got into readied stances.

She smiled and immediately lunged towards one of the Jonin as he threw a kunai towards her and she dodged in a perfect jump sending one back towards him.

He jumped out of the way as Baki stepped back from the fight and leaned against a boulder to watch the other Jonin spar with their new Kazehime.

He had rarely seen her fight and wanted to know just how powerful had become.

He watched as she engaged in a hand-to-hand kunai battle with one of the Jonin, jumping back and forth quickly as another threw senbon at her.

She performed a quick roll in the air and landed on the ground happily before rolling again, sending out a wave of senbon at one of the Jonin who barely dodged the onslaught. The sparring grew more intense as one of the Jonin limped over to Baki, a kunai embedded in his leg. He pulled it out and healed it enough to stop the bleeding as Baki gave him a questioning glance.

"Finished already?" Baki asked as Gin looked up at him with an exasperated look.

"She's fast Baki and I don't plan on getting beaten to a pulp." Baki smirked and looked back at Sakura who had abandoned her senbon and was now resorting to chakra-laden punches against another one of the Jonin until he went flying into a tree with a well-placed kick from Sakura. The man returned and the fight resumed, continuing for another ten minutes before the man walked over to Baki and Gin, falling to the ground with a groan.

Baki raised his eyebrows in slight approval and watched as the final Jonin attacked Sakura full force with kicks and slashes from a kunai. She dodged them well, panting and sweating as she suddenly raised a chakra full fist as the Jonin landed, coming down and slamming her fist into the ground with a forceful "Shannaro!"

The force shook the ground and sent the Jonin flying, creating a huge crater and forcing Baki and the other two to try to keep their balance as the force hit them.

Sakura stood up and took off her gloves, panting and sweating in the heat that hung around the training area. It felt good to have released some of her pent up energy. The man she had sent flying had returned, looking rather worse for the wear.

After healing the three Jonin, she allowed herself to smile at Baki.

"Thanks Baki-san I needed that. I'm surprised you didn't partake in the fight, I'm also surprised you aren't at the meeting." She gave him a sideways look as he met her gaze with an even stare.

"Observation is sometimes more important and I was at the meeting, I was dismissed when I was no longer needed." Sakura gave him a knowing look and nodded at his explanation.

"Well I hope next time we meet we can spar together. Unfortunately, it is dark now and I have to get home but it was good to see you again Baki-san." She smiled genially as she thanked the Jonin for sparring with her and left the training area.

One of the Jonin, Taka shook his head as she moved out of earshot.

"She is darn…powerful! Now I know why Kazekage-sama chose her to marry!" Taka gasped as he leaned against the tree Baki was leaning against. Baki merely shook his head.

"That was not even a fraction of what she can do. Sakura is almost as powerful as the Hokage." He watched as pink hair moved out of sight behind a sand colored building. Maybe he'd been wrong to be apprehensive about Gaara's marriage.

Sakura walked out of the training area feeling tired but refreshed. She walked back down the path to her house as her muscles cooled and she shivered at the un-natural chill of the desert night.

Sakura had showered, dressed in comfortable clothing and now sat eating some tempura she had found in the fridge, no doubt a leftover, meandering into the living room to sit in front of the television for what felt like the umpteenth time that day.

"I can't have any spare time on my hands or I'll get bored!" She muttered to herself with a small laugh.

She wondered idly if Kankuro and Temari would be back in a few days. She knew they would keep her busy when Gaara was working.

She smiled as she thought of her red haired Kazekage with his conservative smiles and quiet mannerisms. It was still mildly confusing to her as to how she had fallen for him and yet here she was, living in Suna with a man she never considered would become her husband.

She shook her head and turned on the TV wanting to get caught up on what was going on with the reports of the rogue attacks.

_"The rogues have stopped any attacks on shinobi in the Northern Forest. The normal rogue activity seems to have started again with small bands pillaging and stealing as usual. No word on how long this will continue. In other news the Kazekage has taken a Kazehime. Haruno Senju Sakura from Konoha was married to Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara of Suna three days ago. This was their public wedding in Suna."_

Sakura sat up in her chair, and then gasped a little as she saw the footage from their wedding come on the screen.

Surely the gorgeous creature on the screen was not her! She looked so poised and regal as she walked towards Gaara. She looked like a princess. She watched in awe as the ceremony played across her television. She was amazed at how beautiful everything looked and how amazing it was to see herself on the television. The ceremony ended on the television and she blinked a few times.

_"We would like to congratulate the new couple and wish them a life of happiness."_

Sakura watched the news for a while longer before deciding to put a movie in to watch until Gaara came home. She settled on an old romance movie and sank back into the couch to watch it.

A few minutes into it, she found herself yawning and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep with her head resting on a pillow.

Outside Gaara walked through the darkened streets with heavy thoughts weighing on his mind. He opened the door to the house and was surprised to hear a movie playing in the living room.

He couldn't help but smile a little as he knew that Sakura had waited for him. He walked into the living room and found himself looking at Sakura sprawled out across the couch breathing evenly with her pink hair splayed across her face.

He moved silently to her side and brushed her hair out of her face as her eyes fluttered open and she shot up from her place on the couch.

"Oh! I must have fallen asleep. I'm sorry I was rather tired." She stood from the couch and gave him an apologetic glance. "I tried to wait up for you."

"I don't mind. I'd actually like to sleep myself, it was a long day." He sighed as she wrapped a hand around his wrist, tugging him towards the stairs.

"We should both go to bed then." He followed Sakura up the stairs and into their room where she immediately went over to the bed and laid down on it with a happy sigh.

He moved to the closet and took off his clothes before changing into a pair of black boxers and pants. He was about to reach for a shirt when he heard a small yawn from behind him.

He turned and saw Sakura stretched across the bed with a sleepy little smile on her face with her eyes closed. He put the shirt down and walked over to the bed crawling under the covers where she now lay and let her move so her head rested on his chest. She sighed happily and he traced circles on her back. Soon her breathing evened out as they both fell asleep with his arm over her side and her face buried in his chest.

About a day's travel away Kankuro and Temari were in the woods camping out as Temari took the first watch. She sighed happily, as she realized she would be back in Suna by tomorrow night. _"We should have stayed in Konoha longer. They are probably still enjoying each other's company. Oh well I won't bother them at all. I wish I could have seen more of Shikamaru though."_ She sighed into the still night air, letting her thoughts drift off to Konoha and the shadow wielder that lived there. Maybe he could come back to Suna soon. Alternatively, she could join the Suna-Konoha exchange for a year. She smiled and continued to watch the forest for any signs of intruders as her brother slept nearby.

Morning brought the usual rays of light into Gaara and Sakura's room waking up Gaara first. He yawned and looked over at his wife before remembering what he had wanted to tell her. His expression and mood immediately soured.

 _"How can I tell her? I know she's a kunoichi but war is such a touchy subject and I don't want her to get worried."_ He watched as her chest rose and fell, her breathing deep and even as he realized what he'd have to do.

 _"I'll bring her to a meeting with the council and explain everything."_ Gaara thought over this and sighed again. He really didn't want to bring her into this until things were more clear.

He watched Sakura as she slept until the light hit her and made her open her emerald eyes as Gaara kissed her throat gently over her mark making her suck in her breath.

"Mmm Morning Gaara." She stretched and kissed his jaw as he looked at her. She noticed his expression immediately and sat up looking at him with concern in her eyes. "What's wrong? I know that look Gaara. Shishou gets the same one when something's going on." Gaara looked at her and rubbed his neck a little, lying down on the pillows as Sakura stared at him.

"Come with me to a council meeting today. I'll tell you everything when we get to my office." He watched as she nodded. Today was going to be a long day.

End of Chapter 47


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Council meetings your first week as the Kazehime? Handle them like Sakura.

"Kazekage-sama, Kazehime-sama." The council members stood and bowed as they walked in the room taking a seat at the head of the table. The council members sat back down and Gaara nodded to them.

"I understand this meeting is important and I already know what the situation is and I fear the course of action we are headed in is inevitable. First I would like to hear reports from our ANBU sector." He nodded towards a man in a dog mask who spoke.

"Reports have been coming in on locations of the rogue's camps. There are fifteen on the border of the rock outcroppings near the border but we have no Intel on that of any other camps. ANBU from Konoha sent us details on rogues from as far as Grass Country." Gaara nodded.

"Their numbers?"

"Many. We do not have direct counts but there is definitely a considerable force." Gaara turned to Baki.

"Baki, I need you to prepare. I'm afraid this could get out of hand. I received a message from Konoha saying that many forces of rogues are headed this way. I fear an attack is unavoidable. We will need to fight them but I will not have a full-scale war on my hands. I plan on having a select team of ANBU find their leader and kill them at all costs. We also need to know why they are attacking and if they have an ulterior motive behind this attack. If this is a diversion, we need to know. The people's safety comes first."

Sakura observed the meeting silently and was very impressed by the way Gaara handled it. She had known that there was trouble brewing but now it seemed like it could happen at any moment. The room seemed tense and she could tell Gaara was as well.

The council discussed strategies and plans for a while longer, which ended up taking up almost half of the day. Sakura added her opinions and stated a plan of action for medical professionals to be alert during the attack. Her review and overhaul of their previous medical alert protocol was accepted and praised.

She also helped persuade Gaara that there had to be at least one medic in each ten-man cell when the battle actually occurred. The council agreed with this and agreed to add a system to allow medical personnel to bring wounded shinobi to the hospital faster from the gates.

The meeting eventually ended and everyone set out to put the plans into motion. Sakura ran off to the hospital and called a staff meeting explaining the protocol and helping to prepare the hospital for the upcoming altercation. All the while, she was hoping that it didn't happen. That by some miracle it wouldn't actually occur.

She didn't finish until around eleven at night and trudged home through the dark streets drained of energy and chakra. She turned down the street to her house and unceremoniously bumped into Gaara who had also just finished his work. He looked at her but said nothing as she nodded to him and continued at his side. They walked up the path to their house and had just opened the door when Kankuro and Temari surprised them.

"Hey guys! How was your time alone?" Kankuro suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at them.

Sakura gave him a half-hearted eye roll and trudged into the kitchen where she opened the fridge and pulled out a container of leftovers, munching on them as she leaned against the countertop. Temari looked between Gaara and Sakura, noticing that both seemed visibly tired. Gaara sat down onto the couch with a blank expression on his features, pouring over a scroll in his hands.

Sakura looked in the fridge again and pulled out the strawberry pie putting it into the oven to warm up. Kankuro shot a nervous glance at his brother, wondering if something had happened between him and Sakura as they both seemed slightly on edge and very tired.

Temari meandered into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching Sakura as she almost pulled the door off the fridge when she went to put away the extra leftovers. She chuckled a little as Sakura then went to peer into the oven at the strawberry pie that was now warm enough. She turned and looked around the kitchen halfheartedly for the oven mitts. Temari shook her head and stopped her.

"I'll get it Sakura." She nodded and let Temari take care of it for her. She watched as the blonde reached down to take out the pan with the oven mits and yelped, pulling her arm back quickly. "Ouch! Ugh Gaara you need to get your oven fixed!" Temari yelled at him, clutching her arm. Sakura looked over at her and walked over, taking Temari's arm in hers raising a hand full of chakra to it.

"There. Now it won't show up as a burn." Temari looked at her and then laid a hand on her arm.

"I missed you when we went back to Konoha but now that I'm back we can spend some sister time together!" She smiled and Sakura did as well as she felt a small onset of dizziness. She shook it off and walked over to the counter where Temari had now put the pie. She smiled at Sakura and handed her a knife and some plates. Sakura cut the pie carefully and handed the knife back to Temari before using a spatula to remove a piece from the pie and place it on a plate. She handed it to Temari and then did the same with the other three plates. She walked into the living room balancing the plates on her arms as Gaara and Kankuro watched her with mildly amused expressions. She handed them each a slice of pie and sat down with her own.

"Oh man, I think I'm in love!" Kankuro exclaimed when he bit into the pie. "This is the best pie I have ever tasted! Thank the gods you have a wife who is an amazing cook Gaara. Maybe now we can stop having burned ramen every other night!" Gaara rolled his eyes and Sakura gave a small chuckle at Kankuro's antics.

They sat in silence enjoying their pie as it soon disappeared from their plates. Sakura took them and brought them into the kitchen leaving the others in the living room. She had only been gone a moment when they heard a loud thump. They all were up in a flash rushing into the kitchen to see Sakura slumped against the cabinets, completely passed out. Gaara looked at her worriedly and picked her up in his arms.

"She's fine she just overexerted herself today and is tired." He assured his siblings as they hovered near her equally as worried as Gaara. They nodded as Gaara stated that she needed her rest and walked up the stairs with Sakura in his arms. "You sure seem to like to be carried by me Sakura." He mused as he looked down at her. _"Shukaku what's wrong with her? Sakura has enough chakra to last a lot longer than what she did today."_ He heard the demon growl a little as he put Sakura down in their bed.

 ** _"She's storing her chakra. She's not used to it yet and has to build up the rest of her chakra to the same level. She's been storing it for a long time but this is the end of it. No doubt she'll be accustomed to it by tomorrow."_** Gaara nodded and sighed knowing that he wouldn't sleep well tonight. Deciding that Sakura would sleep soundly until he returned, he slipped downstairs and transported himself to the roof of the Kazekage building.

Gaara stared out across the Suna rooftops at the huge moon that seemed to dwarf the village. He remembered fearing it. He remembered fearing what would happen to him if he slept. He remembered all of that. But he didn't care. Now he had complete control over what was left of Shukaku's consciousness. The extraction had taken the demon from him but the consciousness that remained had apparently been so entwined with him that it could not be removed. Now he could sleep and watch the moon without it instilling any fear into him. He stayed for a few minutes longer just thinking and staring.

He wondered why Sakura was storing her chakra. Was it because of the threat of a rogue attack or was it merely to help her become stronger than she already was? Shukaku had stated that she had been storing it for a very long time but was in the final stages of it. He didn't know why she had been doing so and he wasn't at all worried about finding out. The upcoming battle weighed more heavily on his mind as he thought over battle strategies and plans.

After an hour, he stood, giving the moon one last look before transporting back to his house. He walked into his bedroom and crawled into bed pulling Sakura against his chest, careful not to wake her. She settled into his arms and he smiled before closing his eyes. _"This is how it's supposed to be. This is how it always will be."_ He thought as he fell into sleep next to the pink haired kunoichi cradled in his arms.

The morning came faster than expected and Gaara woke up to find there was no kunoichi in his arms. He sat up quickly with a sudden surge of panic before he smelled the sweet smell of a hot breakfast coming from down stairs.

He sighed in relief and sat up in the bed before standing and walking into the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed for the day. Sakura stood in the kitchen making breakfast as the TV droned in the background. She had it set to the shinobi channel and was happy that nothing appeared to be going on.

She hadn't told Gaara about her storing chakra in her forehead but she was angry at herself for passing out the day before. It was true that she had accelerated her chakra storage upon hearing about the battle but she was nearing completion anyways. The vigorous chakra training she had received from Tsunade for the two years prior to this had seen to that. She had tried various times to fully store it but it hadn't worked. Tsunade had finally told her to store it minimally over a long period of time until she too could unleash the seal on her forehead.

A sudden beep from the television interrupted her thoughts and she quickly took the eggs off the stove and turned it off before rushing into the living room. She turned up the volume on the television and watched in horror at what was showing on the screen.

 _"There has been an attack on a group of merchants on their way to Suna. They have been killed in the plains near Suna. The merchants were on their way back from Grass Country and had no weapons with them. Their bodies had been stabbed and the goods they were carrying taken. In the group there was a young mother and child that were still alive they are being immediately transported to Suna for urgent care."_ Gaara walked into the room and looked at Sakura who seemed rooted to the spot. He had heard the report and was visibly tense. Sakura turned to him and he nodded, seeing the obvious way her jaw clenched and her eyes had widened.

"Go help them." She gave him a terse nod and ran out the door on her way to the hospital.

Gaara followed her out the door and transported himself to the Kazekage tower for what was bound to be an actual battle meeting. Something had to be done and fast.

Gaara revised the plans for protecting the city as soon as he was revived after the Akatsuki incident. All Suna shinobi knew what to do in the event of an attack. The Genin would help all of the villagers evacuate to a safe area if the city was indeed attacked and the academy students would be considered civilians in the event of an evacuation. The Genin would also follow the villagers to the safe areas as an added level of protection and would leave the Chunin and Jonin to help defend Suna.

The medical staff knew what to do thanks to Sakura and her emergency meetings that had been held the day before. He was confident Suna would be safe. He would protect it at all costs and he knew Sakura and all of the other shinobi would do the same.

He made it to the council room where a serious and tense council awaited him. He looked at them and sat down as Bak,i who had started talking immediately upon his entrance, addressed the council directly.

"Get this under control, move!" Sakura shouted at the nurses rushing about the emergency room to get in order as she walked into the room where the little boy lay next to his mother. She started monitoring their vitals, working hard alongside two other doctors to stabilize them both.

She alternated between the two until they were stable; allowing the doctors and nurses to set up the IV drips and assist with the minor healing.

She then focused on healing the major injuries on their bodies until the nurses and doctors could do the rest. She had to be physically pulled away from healing them as she felt her chakra levels dipping once more. Oh how she hated storing chakra.

Sakura shook her head when a nurse told her she could go home. She went to the staff room and grabbed a cup of water, downing it along with a soldier pill that would keep her going for the rest of the day.

Sighing she walked outside of the hospital after announcing over the loud speakers for everyone to be on high alert in case of a code five. A code five meant they had engaged in a large-scale offensive and were to be expecting wounded shinobi and to be transporting them from the gates to the hospital.

She then transported herself quickly to the Kazekage tower by rushing over rooftops.

The tower was abuzz with activity. Sakura was used to this type of behavior when her Shishou caused a ruckus and thus, knew how to plow through people. She made her way quickly to the boardroom ignoring a frightened intern who ducked behind a plant as she rushed past. Sakura walked into the conference room after one of the ANBU guarding the door confirmed her identity.

"The woman and her son are stable and the hospital is ready and prepared for a code five." She announced the moment she entered, swiftly walking to Gaara's side. She sat next to him as the rest of the council looked to him for further instruction.

"We engage in the operation tonight. Baki do you have the team that will find and infiltrate the hideout and find the leader?" He nodded and motioned for the ANBU leader to come forward. The ANBU in the monkey mask moved forward and nodded to Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama I and three other ANBU members will infiltrate and find the base. We will contact you when it is found." He nodded and the ANBU leader disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked to Gaara in order to gauge his reaction but he had his hands together and was leaning on them much like Tsunade did. He looked at the council as they fussed over papers and Baki stood to go and gather all of the shinobi to tell them the plan of action.

"The rest of you are dismissed as well." Gaara stated and the council room cleared rather quickly. Sakura looked at Gaara and he sighed standing up and looking to her with a stern gaze. "Come with me I need to talk to you." Sakura nodded and followed him to his office. He shut the door and moved to sit down at his desk. Sakura walked over to his side, seeing the coldness in his eyes return again.

"What is it? I know something happened in there that you don't want to tell me." He looked at her and set his lips into a straight line. She could read him well at times.

"I will have to help them fight. I will go undercover if I have to but I will fight alongside them. My sand is a weapon I cannot deprive them of." Sakura looked at him and shook her head, bemused.

"You're a shinobi of Suna and the Kazekage, it's your duty. I know that. I'm a kunoichi and a medic. I am going out onto the front lines in the fight. I wasn't going to give you an option of not sending me. The hospital is in good hands and I am more needed out there on the field. I would have gone even if you had told me I couldn't. We both knew something like this might happen. This is our life, I'm used to it." He looked at her and nodded.

"I told Baki to place you on a team. I knew it was unavoidable. No force could stop you from going. I knew that the moment I realized there would be a battle." She looked at him and sighed, walking over and sitting herself on his lap, making him a bit surprised.

"I am ready for it. We all are, don't worry about me and focus on helping your people. That's what I will be doing because I know you will be alright." She leaned over and kissed him lightly before standing up and walking towards the door. "I'm going to talk to Baki and find out about my team. I'll see you tonight Gaara." He nodded and walked over to her putting a hand against her pale cheek.

"I'll see you tonight Sakura." She smiled slightly and walked out of his office leaving him alone with his thoughts. After a few minutes he decided to go and talk to Baki as well. They would need to set up the defenses tonight to be safe.

"Baki-san I came to ask you about my team-" Sakura started only to be cut off by Baki.

"Yes I put you on a very important team that will be leaving early tomorrow morning." She looked at him and nodded, not at all deterred by his interjection. He handed her a scroll with the details, which she took and tucked into her pouch that rested on her hips to read later.

"Thank you Baki-san." He nodded and she left him to sort through the teams and talk to the shinobi that filled the halls.

She walked past them, getting nods from some, worried glances from others and smiles from a few. Her mind was busy running through what she had to do at the hospital and she decided to stage a code four alert. She would tell one of the doctors to be ready to start a code five alert the next morning if they heard of actual fighting. She decided she couldn't put it off and transported to the hospital by way of rooftops for the second time that day.

Gaara walked into the room just as Baki was finishing his handing out scrolls to the shinobi designating their squads. The squads determined where they would be when the fighting took place and what part of the city they would defend. The majority would be traveling to where the rogues were waiting in ten man cells. The rest would stay and guard Suna from an attack. Gaara waited until the shinobi had left before entering the room where Baki stood.

"I came to see how everything was coming along but I see you have it under control as always. I knew you were right for this after seeing how hard you drilled my siblings when you were our sensei." Baki looked over at Gaara who was standing in the door frame watching him with cold eyes. He shook his head.

"I would have drilled you too but you didn't seem up for it." Gaara gave a small smile and then hardened his expression again.

"Baki we need to set up the defenses tonight. The ANBU team has already found them according to the scroll I received and I am sure that they will move towards us tomorrow morning." Baki nodded tensely.

"I was afraid of that. No matter, I can have the defenses up in ten minutes. I told all of the shinobi to stay at the barracks in the wall tonight in case of an attack. They are all making their way there as we speak and I can have it ready as soon as I get there." Gaara nodded and Baki left the room to go and tell the shinobi to set up the defenses.

Gaara was confident they would be safe. The guards on the ridge had not yet reported anything and he was confident that they wouldn't for a while longer. His main priority was finding Sakura. She was undoubtedly at the hospital getting things prepared again. He transported there with his sand and walked into the building just as Sakura was leaving. He followed her and she smiled upon seeing him.

"We are in a code four and ready to go at a moment's notice. All we need to do is get some sleep." She took his hand and he pulled her close as the sand swirled around them and they landed at their house. Temari and Kankuro had left a note on the door saying they were at the barracks getting everything set up. Kankuro would be leading a cell as well as Temari according to the scrolls lying on the counter in the kitchen. Sakura remembered that she hadn't read her scroll and pulled it out of her pouch. Gaara saw and walked over to her reading it over her shoulder.

_Sabaku no Sakura,_

_Will be in charge of a cell of ten. Job: to attack enemy and gain information on them if possible. Will be the first striking squad and will act alone. Must be at gates by five am._

Sakura looked at Gaara and saw a slight bit of worry in his eyes. She smiled and stood on her toes kissing him softly to reassure him without words that she would be fine.

"I trust Baki-san's decision. He knows what his men are capable of and he knows that I am the best medic to have on the front lines. I have the necklace you gave me with your chakra and the mark you gave me that will tell you if I'm alright. You shouldn't worry." She whispered when she pulled away. He pulled her into a tight embrace and put his mouth against her ear.

"I know." He whispered before holding her quietly in his arms. She pulled back and took his hand leading him upstairs where she walked into the closet to dress in her pajamas. He did the same after her and then crawled into bed next to her for some much needed sleep.

Sakura woke up early to the sound of an alarm clock buzzing softly near her head. She shut it off and looked over at the sleeping form of her husband lying in the bed.

It all seemed so surreal. She wanted to stay in bed but she knew had to go. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and walked over to the closet to get her clothes, being careful not to wake Gaara. She picked her usual mission outfit with her packs and extra kunai and shuriken. She wanted to be sure that she had everything for the fight. She gathered everything she needed and hopped into the shower not caring that it was freezing at first. She had no time for luxuries when Suna was on the brink of battle.

She finished her shower and tugged on her clothing before strapping her weapons pouches on her hips along with her kunai holder on her leg. She looked in the mirror and tied her headband onto her head in a symbolic motion she had done a hundred times before.

Her hitai-ate now bore the insignia of Suna as she had gotten a new one when she married Gaara. She still had her Konoha headband as she always would be a Konoha shinobi, but now, when she was fighting for Suna, it made more sense to wear the Suna headband. She fingered it lightly and smiled as she walked back into the bedroom, not at all surprised to see Gaara up and dressed in his crimson coat with a familiar gourd strapped to his back. She smiled slightly and walked over to him.

"I have to say, I've missed seeing you wear this." She stated, gesturing to his entire ensemble.

"The headband suits you." She stared at him for a moment before walking out of the bedroom with Gaara at her heels.

For nutritional purposes, Sakura popped a food pill in her mouth in place of breakfast wincing at the taste before handing Gaara one as well. They were a necessity when time was a factor, as much as everyone hated them. She sighed as she glanced at the clock and realized she needed to leave. She walked out the door and prepared to run across the rooftops to get to the gates when she felt a strong hand around her waist and whirled around to face Gaara as sand wrapped around them. They appeared at the base of the wall within the city. Gaara stared at her as she stepped back from his grasp.

"I'll be safe." She murmured after noticing his uneasy gaze. He followed as Sakura walked over to where some Jonin stood lounging around, speaking in hushed tones as if the simple act of speaking loudly would break some sort of pre-battle ritual.

They all became silent and observed her as she approached Baki who handed her a scroll. She opened it and read it quickly before looking at the Jonin. "Alright let's get moving. We have our target, follow me and I will explain the plan on the way. Mask your chakra as soon as we leave." They all nodded, taking her orders immediately and she shot one last glance at Gaara. She gave him a small smile and then turned away.

She signaled to the Jonin flanking her that they should start running as she darted off into the seemingly endless desert through the gates of Suna. She didn't look back as she and her team of nine other Jonin made their way across the desert. If she had looked back she would have seen a red haired Kazekage watching her leave from the top of the Suna wall.

End of Chapter 48


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enemy of Suna is an enemy that needs to be punched about 1000 meters.

The ten-man cell traveled fast across the sand making great time. They were very well trained and she could tell they were seasoned Jonin. One had moved up to flank her and was looking at her with expectant eyes.

"We are to disguise ourselves and infiltrate the camp. We must also rendezvous with the ANBU squad if possible. All of you must report to me and only me. No one, no matter what, can let any information slip. This is a real battle; if you die take everything with you." They nodded and continued across the desert.

Sakura felt heaviness in her heart and knew that it came with leaving Gaara behind. She shook her head and pushed forward. There was no time to think of those you cared for in a fight when they are not there and can do nothing to help you.

The cell was getting closer to the place where the ANBU had said they had found the first encampment of rogues. She stopped her team and let them rest for a minute before telling them to change into their disguises.

They were to take the form of some rogues from Grass that had been captured on their way to join the encampments only two days previous. Sakura looked at her newly disguised team and nodded approvingly. The one who had flanked her earlier fell in step next to Sakura who was henged as a female who had been the leader of the small group they had captured. She walked with her head held high and her now yellow eyes holding an air of malice that she had seen in the photo encased in the mission scroll.

From interrogating the rogue's companions, they found that she was a cruel woman but was kinder to one of the men in her group as he was her younger brother. This is who one of the Jonin had henged himself to be and he was the one who fell into step next to Sakura. They walked further into the desert immediately noticing a group of tents that denoted their destination.

Sakura took a deep breath and they all dimmed their chakra to a level that the untalented rogues would have had. They saw four rogues come walking towards them and immediately Sakura halted her team and let them approach her. The rogues looked at her and then at her group before nodding and bringing them towards the small encampment.

"You must be Soto and Uki from Grass. What took you so long?" One of the men growled, looking at Sakura. She glared at him and he backed down slightly.

"We were held up by some business. I trust you have no objections as they were worth quite a lot." The rogue's eyes flitted back to her and he laughed.

"I didn't know you were a bounty hunter Uki." Sakura glared again and walked past him towards the tent he mentioned was theirs. She walked up to the first tent and let the Jonin playing Soto enter the tent with her. He looked at her and she nodded striking up a conversation with him that to anyone else would seem completely harmless and innocent. To them it was all in code that Sakura had told them about before they left.

"So you left your friend the note with the information about the food imports correct?" (We have to get the information and disable as many as possible before stage two.)

"Yes, she wasn't home so I left it on her door, she'll understand." (Yes we are ready how long do we have?)

"I hope she gets it in the next three days it is important." (We have three days.)

"I am confident she will." (We'll get it done.)

Sakura nodded to him and let him leave the tent. She walked outside as well to go snoop around, telling one of the Jonin guarding her tent that if anyone comes to her tent to say she is busy and must not be disturbed.

She then told another to crawl into the tent and change his henge to hers just to be safe. No one would miss a subordinate but they would miss her. She then darted away, disappearing quickly as she changed her henge to fill the place left behind by the Jonin that had henged to be Uki.

She slipped quickly into the shadows where the Jonin henged as Soto waited. She nodded and they set off towards the main encampment to gain information so that they could begin phase two of the mission.

Sakura looked at the Jonin as they hurried across the desert quickly and quietly to avoid being seen. Even if someone saw them it wouldn't be bad as they were both henged and they could easily say they were delivering a message to someone Uki knew. They hurried on until they saw the edge of the large rocky outcropping. There they saw a few scattered tents and knew that the main encampment was inside the large rock formation.

Sakura let out a huge sigh of relief when she noticed a single white flower drift towards them. She grabbed it and showed it to the Jonin next to her. He looked at it and nodded as they both followed the direction it came from.

"Twittttt!" A familiar birdcall echoed across the rocks and Sakura whistled back to it twice. The birdcall and the flower were both signs from the ANBU and Sakura immediately felt better knowing that at least one of them was still safe. She jumped through the outcropping until she saw a man in a cat mask appear next to them. The ANBU waited until she had signed the correct pattern before handing her a scroll and then disappearing. Sakura pocketed the scroll and jumped back down.

"Was there an intruder in the camp?" The Jonin asked and Sakura shook her head, meaning to him that she had gotten the information they needed from the ANBU and could listen in on whatever they needed to safely.

Sakura opened the scroll behind a large boulder and read it quickly before handing it to the Jonin. He read it as well and Sakura placed her hands on it releasing the jutsu on it causing it to turn into a grey bird that flew off to give the information to Baki back in Suna.

They then began walking into the rock formation until they came upon a huge encampment that shocked them both. It seemed like all of the rogues had come together to fight Suna.

Sakura walked quickly through the camp flanked by the Jonin, no longer bothering to hide as they blended right in with the large crowd. They quickly made their way to the largest tent in the middle of the encampment. The rogues disappearing into the tent all seemed to be high target. Some Sakura recognized from Bingo Book drawings.

Sakura looked at the Jonin and he shrugged, walking up to the large tent with confidence. The guards nodded to him as he walked inside without being stopped or questioned. Apparently Soto and Uki were well known or at least of some sort of importance. Sakura looked around the moment she moved inside and saw that the tent was just a cover up for a large underground building. She walked down the stairs next to the Jonin and nodded to him as they came to a large wooden door from which voices were emanating.

Sakura walked in behind the Jonin who opened the door and walked in first, as he was the one henged to look like Soto. All of the heads in the room turned to look at them as they walked in, the conversation ceasing.

"Ah finally you have joined us Soto. Take a seat." A voice said from behind a screen to their left. "Surely your sister is here as well? She would not miss this for anything from what I heard."

 ** _"Unless she was in Suna's prison."_** Inner Sakura mumbled making Sakura scowl a little.

"My sister sends her apologies; she is tired from the travel and is resting in her tent. She sent me to sit in for her." The Jonin answered calmly and the man behind the screen must have accepted this as no more questions were asked.

"Well then let's get started. As you all know we are planning on taking over Suna. It is a strong city and controls all of Wind Country. With this in our power, we can take over the other smaller nations and form our own. We will be free to do as we wish and not have to worry about being meaninglessly killed simply for not having allegiance to a village that would hold us back!" A murmur of approval went through the room and Sakura inwardly scowled.

 _"We only kill them if we have reason! We never kill them unless they attack us or if it is our mission!"_ Sakura scowled inwardly as she listened to the meeting.

"We will strike soon. The target is Suna, once an impossible target that is now within our grasp. Our biggest threat to this action has a weakness." A man stepped forwards, unraveling a massive scroll. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw a picture of Gaara on the day he became the Kazekage. "Suna has a Kazekage that is more powerful than any they have had before. Sabaku no Gaara is a known Jinchuuriki. He can control sand and kill people without them ever even getting a scratch on him. He has fought many S Class shinobi without much of a struggle and has only ever been defeated once." The scroll rippled as the photo changed and there appeared a picture of Gaara from the Chunin exams attacking with his sand. "As this is the case, it would be fruitless to attack him directly. Fortunately, I have a plan." The scroll changed once more and Sakura resisted a gasp as she stared at a photo of herself.

The picture was one that was no doubt listed in the Bingo Book, as it was her formal identification picture that was taken after she became a Jonin. Everyone in the room murmured again and some chuckled or nodded with smirks on their faces. One even leaned over to her and whispered.

"I wouldn't mind capturing and keeping her. That Kazekage has it lucky huh?" Sakura merely nodded, holding back the overwhelming urge to pummel everyone in the room.

"This is Sabaku no Sakura. Formerly Sakura Haruno from Konoha. She has recently married the Kazekage and become the new Kazehime. She is a medic and was a student of the Legendary Sannin Hokage. The Hokage is very attached to this girl. This poses a problem in my plan of eliminating her to weaken the Kazekage. Killing her would most likely weaken him mentally, but the problem lies in the Hokage. Since the Kazehime is her protégée, she would no doubt get involved in the battle and we would not stand a chance against the combined forces of Suna and Konoha with the Legendary Sannin on their side as well as Konoha's forces. There is also a chance that the Kazekage will not lose his will to fight if she is killed. This is why we will capture her and use her as a pawn. She will be a trade; her life for Suna. He refuses to surrender and she dies." The murmurs of approval raced through the room and the Jonin henged as Soto looked over at Sakura before nodding slightly.

She did some quick hand signs under the table and started on a powerful genjutsu that would make everyone in the room fall asleep. She had first seen it when Orochimaru attacked during the Chunin exams and had asked Kakashi, who had managed to copy the justu, to teach her the move. He was not a genjutsu type and was therefore not as skilled with it but for Sakura, it was something she was very good at manipulating, though it was a massive drain on her chakra.

The people around the room started to close their eyes until everyone except for her and the Jonin next to her were asleep. Sakura wasted no time. She quickly unhenged and unsheathed her kunai, looking over at the Jonin who nodded. They both ran to the front of the room and pulled back the screen seeing a man slumped over on some pillows. Immediately Sakura recognized him as a high-level rogue that was wanted in multiple countries.

Sakura nodded and the Jonin quickly stabbed him with a kunai making sure it went through his heart. The man's eyes snapped open and he started gasping and coughing, his eyes wide as he looked at Sakura.

"You bitch!" Is all he managed before his heart gave out. Sakura merely turned her head. She hated to kill in cold blood but in this case, it was a necessity and part of their mission.

"Quickly, call the others and start disabling them. Tie them all up and make sure they can't escape, I can't hold the jutsu for long." The Jonin nodded and Sakura whirled around as a kunai soared past her. She jumped out of the way of another and started fighting the men that had somehow gotten out of the complicated genjutsu.

She saw one run up the stairs and she lunged after him, making short work of the men left in the room before running after the one that had gotten away. She tore out of the building and stopped quickly.

 _"This is not good, this is not good!"_ She scowled as she ran through the trees towards the camp where the other Jonin were stationed.

She saw the rogues quickly packing up camp and running about gathering weapons. They were no doubt aware of an intruder and now were intent on moving in for an attack right away. Sakura had henged herself again and was furiously trying to find the other Jonin. She heard a birdcall and saw three ANBU to her left. "Jonin!" Is all she yelled as she raced across the trees.

They would know to help them out. Stage two was ultimately destroyed as now the only option was to start the counterattack. Seeing that they were the only ones there, it was up to her. She rushed to where she saw a familiar face. She jumped down and raced to his side.

"I've sent the message. The rest of them are over here. We've initiated stage three, everything's set!" Sakura nodded and followed him through the trees where the other Jonin were waiting. They all looked at her as she landed getting into tense positions. Sakura unhenged and they all calmed down dropping their henges as well. Sakura looked at one who wore a large cloak concealing a mass of exploding tags on kunai.

She nodded and the Jonin split into pairs of three, all knowing what their jobs were. She was with two Jonin that she had met training with Baki. Taka and Gin were their names and she was glad she knew them. It would be easier to communicate with them as she had seen them fight once before, even if it was only in a sparring match. Sakura motioned for them to henge themselves again and she did as well. They all jumped into a group of rogues that were all surprised to see them.

"Soto, Uki!" The nearest one, a man with blue hair chirped, obviously surprised to see the pair. Sakura glared at the rogues and then looked at Taka, nodding.

"We are taking a different route." The rogues looked confused but went along with it, obviously not willing to challenge her orders. Taka and Sakura rushed across the ground leading away from the other rogues. They looked back and saw Gin in disguise nodding to them as he trailed the group.

They counted the rogues following them and saw there were at least ten. Sakura motioned to Taka as they got even farther away from the other rogues to a wall of rock where a large boulder stood.

They stopped as Sakura ordered the rogues to line up to prepare for a secret assault using an underground cavern. The rogues complied after one of Sakura's death glares in her disguise as Uki. They lined up without complaint and Gin quickly made a barrier of rock that sealed them all in. The rogues panicked and started yelling that it was a trap as Sakura and Taka unhenged and started attacking the rogues.

Sakura was fighting three and Taka was fighting a few more with four already dead from the wall crushing them when Gin built it. The clash of metal on metal seemed to reverberate through the rock enclosure and Sakura was reminded in a flash of the same noise when she fought the woman from the Sound. She shook it off and kicked a rogue into the wall, killing him by crushing his lungs. She then proceeded to stab one, twisting her kunai deep into his chest before starting on the next. Sakura had killed the ones opposing her and a quick glance around the area showed that not many were left.

"Gin left!" She called as he quickly ducked as Sakura launched a kunai towards the man attempting to blindside her teammate.

Sakura was distracted by a flying kunai for a mere moment when she suddenly felt a quick slash of pain on her arm. She whirled around and faced the rogue that had just managed to hit her with a senbon just as Taka stabbed him.

She nodded her thanks and faced one of the few rogues left. She fought him easily, shattering his arm before slamming her chakra-laden fist into his nose.

As she whirled around to confront another, a hot spray of warm blood hit her back. She turned and met the eyes of Taka who had done away with the rogue as swiftly as he could.

Gin made his rock cover disappear and the light streamed in, making them blink and look around at the rogues that lay dead on the ground.

They heard a huge bang and knew that phase three was officially finished. Now all they had to do was wait for Suna to come and help them. As a few more rogues spotted Sakura and her team, she wished this even more. The genjutsu had diminished her chakra but she still had about half of it left.

"Kazekage-sama! The Kazehime's squad requests backup, phase three is complete!" Gaara's head snapped up immediately. He swept out of his office in and immediately made his way to where Baki stood deploying the troops.

"Gaara you are with the ANBU along with Temari and Kankuro. They are down there." He pointed to where they stood waiting for him to join them. He joined them without a word, standing in between his siblings.

"Kazekage-sama we are ready to go when you are." Gaara nodded and they set off at a grueling pace. Gaara was at the front, an increasingly serious expression evident on his features. Straight ahead of them was a large dust cloud that he knew was the rogues making their way towards Suna.

"Get ready Temari, Kankuro, my priority is Sakura. These ANBU will follow me and some will stay with you. Don't, under any circumstances, allow them to get into Suna." They all nodded and Gaara motioned to the ANBU to follow him.

Soon enough they heard the clashes of fighting coming from a group further away and knew the battle had officially began.

"Kazekage-sama we can get past them without confrontation if we leave now." An ANBU shouted to Gaara. He nodded and looked at Temari and Kankuro.

"Go on Gaara. You need to find Sakura and help her. She's important to everyone." He nodded as Temari spoke and left with some of the ANBU leaving his siblings to face a small group of rogues that had headed their way.

"Here we go." Kankuro hissed with a grin as he pulled out his puppets. The first rogues were down in seconds as they faced off against the ANBU, being no match for them. Temari hit one with her fan and forced him into an ANBU who killed him swiftly.

Gaara rushed towards the large rock outcropping as some more troops of rogues rushed past. He stood against a boulder and waited for them to pass over him as the ANBU surrounded him.

"I need you to find the Kazehime and her group quickly. If you find her, radio me or get her to me." They nodded and three dismissed leaving two with Gaara. "We're going to look where her last message came from. That may be where we find her." The ANBU nodded and set off with their Kazekage and his sand.

Gaara's eyes were cold and full of bloodlust that hadn't been there since he had taken the position as Kazekage. He wanted to kill those rogues and get them away from his city and his wife. In that fleeting moment he felt something that he could only describe as a sudden pull. He was confused for a moment until Shukaku growled in the back of his mind.

 ** _"Kid follow it. It'll lead you to her your mating mark assures that you will always be drawn to her in a time of need. She needs you kid. She's not dead if you're feeling that pull but she might be hurt or in need of you."_** He stopped abruptly, making the ANBU tense and flank him.

"What is it Kazekage-sama? Enemy?" He shook his head and glared straight ahead where he felt the slight pull.

"No, our Kazehime." He started off again in the direction he felt the pull and pushed forward on his sand with the ANBU leaping to keep pace. He felt another pull that seemed to make his kanji on his head sting a little and he knew he was very close. Suddenly he shot up in the air with his sand and spotted what appeared to be a huge mass of blood and in it bodies of rogues. He dove back down to the ground and the ANBU followed him and immediately started looking at the bodies.

"Three are ours! They're all Jonin." An ANBU called as they scanned the bodies. Gaara nodded and the ANBU began taking in the perimeter. Gaara looked around for pink hair in a flurry of despair, sighing in relief as he saw none.

The ground suddenly shook underneath of them, the sand shifting as the rocks underneath groaned under a sudden shift in pressure. He looked at the ANBU and nodded.

"That might be her." They nodded and rushed to where they heard another loud bang. They soon came to a clearing littered with craters and dead enemy rogues alongside countless scattered rocks and debris. There were a few more Suna shinobi and in the far corner, there they saw a group of people gathered around a figure on the ground. They saw the group lift up the person and start to walk away.

In the middle of the circle a pink haired medic kneeled on the ground splattered in red with a leg hastily wrapped in a bandage that was already turning red.

She was healing a Suna shinobi in front of her, nodding as two shinobi rushed forwards to get him to Suna. Gaara's heart filled with relief as he spotted her across the clearing he walked over to her swiftly. She whirled around as soon as she felt his chakra and saw him moving towards her with the ANBU in tow.

"Gaara! Thank goodness you're here! We need help in the inner camp, there have been rogues coming this way and we've killed so many but there still seem to be more coming around the west side of the rocks. So far my count is six dead shinobi on our side and about fifty to seventy dead in the higher rocks alone. Taka and the others left after we killed the leader, they needed help here so I came…" She was cut off as Gaara wrapped sand around her waist and nodded to the ANBU. They all transported back to the place they said they would meet where the other ANBU were waiting.

"You are staying with me. I should have had you stay in the hospital." He said as he looked at her. She looked exactly like someone who had been in the midst of a heavily outnumbered battle. Her clothes were bloody from where she had been spattered by the blood of enemies being killed mere inches from her person.

"Gaara I helped and I can handle myself, I don't have any serious injuries and I can fight. We should go help Temari and Kankuro. I can't have my sister and brother-in-law outdoing me." She gave Gaara her best impression of Naruto's eager grin and Gaara sighed.

"Ok we'll go." He nodded to the ANBU who nodded back before transporting at the same time Gaara and Sakura did.

Sakura was placed on the ground and looked out to see fights going on between the Suna shinobi and the rogues. She looked at Gaara and squeezed his hand before running to the aid of some shinobi nearby that were injured and lying on the ground.

Gaara watched her go and then turned his attention to the fights going on nearby where people were losing or in extreme danger. He moved towards them just as they all stopped fighting, a massive noise drawing the attention of everyone. Gaara looked in the direction the noise came from and saw a massive bird heading towards Suna. He looked over at Sakura seeing her glance at the bird and then began ordering people to move the wounded to Suna as quickly as they could.

He wasted no time getting on his sand and flying in front of the bird. The bird stopped and screamed at him as its rider laughed and glared down at him.

"How nice to meet you Kazekage. I was looking forward to seeing you in action. I'm afraid your little wife killed my father and I am looking to return the favor. Oh don't worry I won't touch her, yet. No I plan on killing you first then taking Suna and having some fun with your dear little wife. She's a medic isn't she? Well then I will expect great things from her and her amazing strength I hear so much about. Then maybe she'll last a little longer than the last one hm?" He chuckled and Gaara glared at him hate, anger, and the full intent to kill shown in his eyes.

"I will not let you touch Suna or lay a finger on my wife. It's my village and as long as I'm breathing it will be." The man on the bird laughed again and Gaara scowled.

"We'll see Kazekage." Just then a loud bang went off and out of the corner of his eye Gaara saw a small explosion in the desert and some shinobi go flying. He was almost sure Sakura had been there and hoped against all hope that she wasn't anymore.

"You will be stopped at all costs." The man looked at him and smirked.

"Then let us begin Kazekage." He shot left on his bird and made it dive towards Gaara.

Gaara moved quickly dodging it and sending out a sand attack that wrapped around the bird's wings making it crash to the ground before it broke through the bonds and flew back up to lunge at him again.

Its master sent off a powerful hit with a kunai with exploding tags attached all over it. Gaara's sand shield went up and stopped the attack creating a massive blast that blew sand all around them. The shield dropped and Gaara raised his hands before shooting out an arm sending massive fragments of hardened sand towards the bird.

One hit it and it screamed before diving towards him with one of the slabs of sand lodged in its side. He sent up a wall of sand that the bird sunk its claws into but to no avail.

Gaara stood behind the shield on his sand with the same hardened look that he had had while fighting the Akatsuki. The bird screamed and struggled to pull out its claws. Gaara then made his sand move to wrap around the birds legs making it scream in fear and struggle to get away while its master watched from its back with an angry expression on his face. Gaara closed his fist and said the words he had uttered many times before.

"Desert funeral." The sand contracted around the birds legs crushing it and making the bird scream out louder than before as it disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The man fell to the ground and glared at Gaara who was still on his sand glaring down at him.

"If you think that's all I have you're wrong! Thorn clone jutsu!" He made a hand sign as twenty clones of thorns appeared and jumped up at Gaara. He hit the first with his sand and kept battling but was struggling as they latched onto the sand and he couldn't move it. He was becoming furious with this rogue and it was beginning to show.

"I'm done playing, I'm finishing this." More of his sand shot out and wrapped around the rogue as he was starting to perform another jutsu. He struggled but Gaara merely tightened his hold as the clones all disappeared falling to the ground in broken clumps of thorns before disappearing.

"Wha-what!? How could I lose?" He hissed angrily struggling as Gaara came down from his sand.

"You chose to try and take over Suna." The man snarled at him and he walked closer putting his hand around the man's neck forcing it back as his body was immobilized by the sand. "And you chose to go against me." He hissed as he looked at the man, his eyes full of hatred and anger. He tightened his hold on the man's neck and his sand tightened as well as the man gasped and coughed up blood. Gaara tightened it even more and heard the snaps of breaking bones before he felt the man's breath leave his body. He released his sand and dropped the man's body before turning to look at the fight around him.

He looked over to where the blast site had blown apart the sand and rock beneath it and saw that there were already Jonin moving people towards Suna and it looked like those who weren't hurt were helping as well. He scanned it desperately for pink hair but saw none.

"Gaara!" He heard a familiar voice and turned to see Kankuro running towards him. "Gaara they're retreating!" His eyes widened and he looked around seeing rogues looking suddenly terrified as well as confused. Many had dropped their weapons in surrender or had fled.

Gaara was confused as to why they would give up so suddenly. He took to the air on his sand and saw the same thing happening all across the desert. There was one huge group of rogues surrounded by Suna shinobi and he flew over to them quickly before dropping down.

"Kazekage-sama." Some murmured in surprise as they moved aside to let him through to where the rogues were cowering.

"Please spare us! We were under a genjutsu! We didn't know what we were doing! None of us want this! We are happy working alone and living alongside nations like Suna!" One of the rogues begged, putting his head against the sand as the others nodded and did the same. Gaara looked at them and realized that they must have been telling the truth.

"Get up and never come back here. If I ever see you here again I won't hesitate to kill you all." His voice was laced with venom as he scowled at the men before him. The rogues gave frightened nods before taking off back to the rock outcroppings along the border.

"How did the genjutsu release?" Kankuro asked, appearing at his side as he walked away leaving the Jonin to begin clean up as shouts of triumph rang across the desert.

"I killed the leader's son. Let's get back to Suna. Where's Temari?" He asked and Kankuro shrugged.

"She left in the middle of the fight to go and help some Jonin bring wounded back to Suna. She's probably at the hospital with Sakura." Gaara nodded and they both started back to Suna along with Jonin that were injured slightly or being supported by others along with some carrying the dead or injured across the desert towards Suna.

Their losses had not been great, but they had suffered some losses despite his intervention. Gaara already knew he would be filling out forms for the dead for a long while.

It took a while to reach the gates as Gaara refused to ride his sand as the others all walked. They all sighed in relief and sped up a little as the gates of Suna came into view along with the white medical tents stationed right through the gates.

Gaara hoped that Sakura was there tending the wounded. He sighed in relief as a familiar blonde haired woman came running towards them.

"Kankuro, Gaara! Good to see that you're both intact." She looked her brothers up and down before turning to Gaara. "Looks like you managed to avoid a war after all." She cocked her head to the side as Gaara ignored her and looked over her shoulder, searching the masses of people for any sign of pink.

"Temari where's Sakura?" She looked at him and blinked, a confused expression on her face.

"I don't know, she hasn't come back yet?" Gaara looked at her as a pained feeling began to fill him.

"I'm going to find her. I'll check the blast site first." He turned and Temari looked at him before putting out her hand to stop him as he disappeared into a flurry of sand.

"Come on Temari we should look for her here see if anyone's seen her." Kankuro muttered, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded turning and following him to the medical tent.

End of Chapter 49


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK So I decided that this fanfic was way too long to be a single fanfic. (It was at 280,000 words and not finished, it's longer than the Harry Potter books I'm dead serious.) I'm cutting it here and continuing it starting with the honeymoon preparations in a sequel called A Quicksilver Love. Those of you who've read past this chapter on FF.net before will be re-reading part of it.
> 
> This is a monster of a fanfiction and I really need to learn how to write things more concisely. I appreciate each and every review and reader. I hope you enjoyed this 4 year labor of love. 
> 
> Love and Peace to you all. -Eleboppers

Gaara appeared near the blast site where a few Jonin were working on bringing back the dead. One noticed him and walked over immediately, already knowing for whom he was searching.

"Kazekage-sama the Kazehime is not here. I don't know where she is." Gaara stared at the Jonin and recognized him as one of Baki's friends.

"Taka do you know if anyone has seen her?" Taka shook his head apologetically.

"I don't think anyone's seen her since after the blast. I'm sorry I can't be of more help Kazekage-sama. I know you don't want to look there, but try the hospital, that would be my guess as to where she would be." He gave Gaara a look with true regret and sadness on his face as he shook his head and went back to helping move people injured or dead to Suna. Gaara stood there for a moment and then disappeared, a feeling of anger overcoming him.

"Temari!" He called as soon as he appeared in front of the hospital. She turned and spotted his hardened expression immediately.

"Gaara! What are you doing here? I thought you were at the blast site looking for Sakura." She looked confused as he blazed past her, motioning for her to follow with a hasty jerk of his head.

"I was directed here. No one has seen her." Temari nodded and they walked into the hospital that was full of shinobi being rushed back and forth by nurses and doctors. Amidst the chaos Gaara searched for any sign of Sakura. After scanning the entire room, he was certain she was not there. The wide-eyed secretary currently being swarmed by people shoving folders and papers at her was his next best lead. She noticed his approach and stopped her paper shuffling to call to him above the din.

"Kazekage-sama I think I saw Kazehime-sama come in and go down there but I don't know…" He rushed away leaving Temari to call after him.

"Gaara wait!" She cursed and set off after her brother. He turned a corner with rapid speed, dodging a nurse helping a shinobi walk down the corridor.

He turned another corridor into what seemed to be a much quieter hallway and felt his heart drop as he noticed a pink figure slouched against a wall. "Sakura!" He called out, rushing to her side.

Her side had been burned and blood covered her features in a sticky red coating. He couldn't tell how much of it was actually hers as her clothing was darkened and charred from the blast. How she had managed to make it all the way to the hospital and past everyone without being stopped and helped was a mystery that infuriated him.

Gaara could see that she was breathing but her eyes were closed and she was in obvious pain. "We need a medic here now!" He shouted down the hall as Temari finally rounded the corner and caught up to him. The sight of Gaara pulling Sakura to his side was enough to make her blood chill.

"Medic! We need a medic here now the Kazehime's hurt!" Gaara gently picked her upper body up and placed it on his lap, careful of her injuries. Her eyes fluttered in response and she let out a low moan.

He heard rushed footsteps as medics came around the corner with Temari who had gone to get them. They rushed to Sakura and gently put her on a gurney before rushing her to a treatment room leaving Gaara and Temari to wait. Temari forced Gaara away from where he was attempting to follow them, making him sit on a bench in the corridor.

"She'll be fine Gaara, you know that."

"I know." He stated as Temari gave him a look that suggested she didn't believe he truly meant that statement. "She should not have been hurt. She have been able to make it this far without being attended to." He conceded with a bite to his tone, noticing her disapproving glance.

Temari crossed her arms and gave an exasperated sigh. "I'd feel the same way if I was in this position. I think anyone would." Gaara gave a nod but said nothing more. He was too busy thinking of Sakura and ways to destroy incompetent hospital staff.

The two siblings sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes until a nurse emerged from the treatment room.

Immediately Gaara and Temari were on their feet. The nurse quelled their worried looks with a smile.

"The Kazehime is alright and awake. Most of the blood was not hers. She suffered burns to her side and arm that we have healed. She'll be a bit weak for a while but she is alright. The wound on her leg has also been attended to." Temari thanked the nurse as Gaara brushed past her and entered the room.

Two jade eyes immediately locked with turquoise as Sakura sat up in the bed. "Gaara!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up at his arrival. He moved to her side and gently wrapped his arms around her as she balled her fists into the back of his coat.

"Did you get hit by the blast?" She nodded against his chest and pulled back to look at him.

"I was helping them when I felt a huge explosion. Luckily I was on the outskirts of it. I'm completely healed now just bloody looking. I won't hear of me staying in bed even if I need to get a wheelchair and wheel myself around I'm getting up. I managed to get myself to the hospital but the entrance was so crowded I teleported into an inner corridor. It was stupid, I was already low on chakra." Gaara looked at her in slight alarm as she wiggled out of his grasp and slid her legs over the side of the bed.

"Sakura slow down." Gaara placed a hand on her arm to stop her, standing before helping her up. She glanced at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I'll be fine Gaara. I'm a medic, I know my limits."

He didn't seem to agree as his steady hold on her waist did not waver as they moved towards the door.

She heaved a heavy sigh as she watched her doctors and nurses rush about tending the injured but put aside any ideas of helping them as Gaara gave her a stern glance.

Temari met them in the lobby and gave Sakura a nod and a once over before returning to help carry in some of the last injured shinobi.

Gaara transported Sakura home on his sand and managed to get her to eat something before bringing her up to bed. She insisted on having a shower first and Gaara conceded, letting her wash away the blood and the grime before he took his turn.

They both fell into bed soon after. Exhausted and troubled by the day's events. They had lost some shinobi. Not many, but enough to weigh on them. At the moment all they could do was sleep.

Sakura was the first one up the next day. Gaara followed her soon after, chastising her for not resting as she rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"Gaara you know I won't listen when I know I'm completely fine." He shot her a sideways glance that was nearly unreadable before taking a bowl of miso soup and some rice. He took it and sat at the counter as she ate hers absentmindedly.

"Thoughts?" He questioned as she glanced up at him.

"I'm thinking about all of the paperwork you and I are going to have to do since this whole thing is over."

"There are medical files to be updated and patients to be monitored on your end. My end is mostly diplomatic and general recuperative function." She sighed as he stood and placed his bowl in the sink.

"Words I don't like to hear." She wrinkled her nose in mild distaste. "I have to get going. No doubt these next few days will be hectic. It could have been much much worse though." He watched as she leaned up and kissed his cheek lightly. "Promise you won't work too hard." She murmured.

"You are the one who is recovering, you should not be working at all."

"As if I could do that after this. I'm already mostly recovered, my body heals itself quickly you know." He watched as Sakura's mouth curved into a small smile. "Maybe after this all cools down you can treat me to a nice vacation." Sakura teased lightly as Gaara nodded, much to her surprise.

"I was planning on a vacation at some point." Sakura turned to him with a surprised expression.

"Gaara we already had our honeymoon." He shook his head.

"I think you deserve a honeymoon away from Suna that doesn't last a day." Sakura's mouth formed a perfect 'o' as Gaara merely turned and began gathering his coat.

"I'll hold you to that Gaara!" She called as they both walked outside to head to their respective jobs, a smile on Gaara's face as he thought of all the things to come.

**END OF A SNOWY LOVE.**

**SEQUEL: A QUICKSILVER LOVE**

 


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